


Child's Play

by AlwaysMaybeObsessed



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Drama, Fluff, M/M, Moving past bad pasts, Other, Romance, family life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 00:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4898683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysMaybeObsessed/pseuds/AlwaysMaybeObsessed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Events after ORAS has left the teams working to better themselves in the public eye. Maxie and Archie however, still have dislike running through their veins. When they find two children, almost identical of each other, and take them in, perhaps they can finally move past their years of hate? [Archie/Maxie fanfic, Hardenshipping]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Days had been long and repetitious ever since the end of Team Magma’s plan months prior. When Team Aqua was pulled to a halt as well, days just seemed dull but relaxing. Maxie had never realized how stressed pushing his ideal of land expansion had affected him until a week after the young trainer had stopped both teams single handedly.

After such a large blow to his pride he had locked himself in his room for a few days.  He sat alone and slept most of the hours away, the others reading and ignoring the worried comments Tabitha and Courtney sent him via phone. The third day is when he noticed when passing by a mirror how thin he was. It had shocked him how much weight he had lost in those months of planning and research. Half of him was disgusted with the complete lack of care he gave to his own body, the other intrigued but otherwise still very frightened.

With that on his mind, he only secluded himself for a few hours before becoming sick of the silence. He dressed himself and walked out of the room into the loft of the hide out. Each grunt instantly growing quiet in anticipation.

“Attention all.” His voice rang out loud and clear in the now full room. “In light of recent events, Team Magma will abandon it’s original plan of acquiring Groudon and expanding the land.”

“However,” Their attention hung on him, on his words, very closely. “After much thought, I have decided not to disband Team Magma. Instead our plans will focus more on bettering the land itself. We all have been gifted pardon for our crimes, and while we may never truly be ‘good,’ we should push for all to see us as great and respectable. Any of you who no longer wish to be apart of this ideal may resign at any time. Thank you.”

Clapping and cheering bounced off of every wall in the base that day, his admins congratulating and thanking him.

“I did nothing worth thanking me for.” He sighed, already exhausted from the thought of starting over from scratch.

“We’ll gladly help in this new plan sir!” Tabitha was on the verge of tears. “You really had us worried.”

“I told you they were unwarranted. Maxie always knows what he’s doing.” Courtney muttered. Seeming to ignore that fact she had sent him as many messages as Tabitha, if not more. Part of him could not throw all that they worked for away, and the worry that nagged his mind of what would become of his subordinates should he shut down the base, most of which might now be unwanted by their families after what they had almost done. Even if the authorities had forgiven them, the general public would be much less inclined to forget.

As such over the next few months, the team worked hard to raise public opinion of them. Quickly hearing through the grapevine Team Aqua was doing the same.

“Should we do something sir?”

Contemplating putting _everything_ in the past, Maxie murmured softly before becoming firm. “No, we have no business with them anymore.”

“Understood.”

Nothing more became of his old rivalry, in fact he had become so busy trying to keep himself healthy and gaining the knowledge to further their new plan he seemed to forget about team Aqua. Becoming so wrapped up in his team once more,  a schedule now in place and followed to a T, that it was surprising when he heard a timid knock on his door during the early morning hours one day.

“Sir...? It’s Tabitha.”

Maxie felt a himself hiss out a ‘what do you want at this ungodly hour...?’ but his pillow muffled most of the anger. His admin opened the door and seemed to fidget with panic.

“I’m sorry to wake you boss but-” Not panicked, no, out of breath. He gave a few huffs before continuing. “Someone broke into the base.”

Maxie sat up at once, throwing off the blanket and putting on his glasses. “Where are they now? Who are they?”

“I-in a storage closet. A newbie thought he heard crying and-”

“Crying?”

He questioned as he walked into the hall in his pajamas, the urgency more important than trivial garments.

“It’s not a robber, I think. Just a kid.” They walked at a brisk pace, many of the subordinates now up and readying themselves for the day.

“And why haven’t you thrown them out?”

“Sir!” Two grunts, presumedly guarding the door, saluted to him before opening the assumed storage closet. It was dimly lit, but with a flick of a switch the room filled with light. Showing a small child.

“As you can see...it’s a young kid. We can’t just throw him out.”

Indeed the child was young, perhaps 6 or 7, curled up in a corner. Much too young to be a trainer who happened to get lost in the mountains.

“Check all cities for any amber alerts or missing children flyers. I want as many people questioned without raising suspicion.”

“Right away boss!”

“Courtney.” As her name left his lips she appeared, dressed and ready to go. “Has there been any attempt to get the child’s information?”

“Yes sir. As soon as we found him Tabitha went to get you and I attempted to extract his name and hometown.”

“And?”

“Nothing. He refuses to speak to anyone of us.” She sounded slightly insulted, but otherwise neutral as they walked closer.

“Very well. Anything else?”

As she described the finding of the boy, Maxie noticed the child was now looking at him. Dark arms and legs were scraped and covered in tiny cuts as the short, black hair moved slightly, trying to watch him better.

“You.” He cut off Courtney as he got down to eye level the child. “How did you get into our base?”

Slowly, the boy rose his head, large blue eyes puffy and red looked up at him as he let out a sniffle. His face was dirty, as well as his shirt and shorts. His lips were dry and he seemed somewhat sleep deprived. In a small voice the boy spoke.

“I dunno...”

“... ... ...”

Tiny arms wrapped around his neck when he tried to get up, making a disgusted noise crawl out of his throat. “You’re filthy...”

“Maxie. What are your orders?” Courtney asked, watching as he cautiously picked the boy up.

“I don’t believe he can be of any use in his current state.” Any movement made to remove him was met with a shriek of no and his small hands gripping his shirt until his knuckles turned white. Heaving a low sigh, Maxie adjusted him to rest on his arm. “I will give him a bath, during which I want you to find suitable clothing. After which some food and sleep will get him aware enough to speak properly.”

“Understood.”

Walking while the child clung to him, he returned to his room and began running the bath.

This time the boy didn’t fight him when he put him down, nor when he scrubbed him head to toe (he was literally caked in dried mud). Once done rinsing and drying him, Maxie wrapped him up in a towel before fetching the clothing the grunts had found and neatly folded on his desk, as well as a glass of water and the medical kit.

“Drink this.”

The boy wasted no time in draining the liquid before getting into the baggy clothes and following him into his office. Rolling out a futon, Maxie instructed him to sit down. He bent down and carefully looked over the cuts, most likely from climbing through bushes and tripping on the unforgiving slope of the mountain. One by one he cleaned and bandaged them before dusting himself off and giving a sound of approval.

Maxie rubbed his temple lightly, he was never a fan of children and yet here was one, unnamed and clinging to HIM of all people.

_Maybe I can get to him to latch onto Tabitha..._

He suddenly felt something tugging on his pant leg, the child, half lidded with sleep trying to get his attention.

“What.”

“Maxie...the lady said....” He lulled off into silence.

“Yes.” He sighed. “My name’s Maxie.”

“....”

“And you are...?”

“....Archabald.”

“Archibald?” Maxie repeated slowly, the child nodding slightly.

“Mama only calls me that when she’s mad though...”

“So...Archie, then.” It was more of a statement then a question, but the boy nodded again and solidified the information. “Get some sleep. Then we’ll talk.”

His small fists refused to let go of his leg, almost holding onto it for dear life when he moved forward.

“You....”

His voice dripped venom, but he froze when he noticed the tears welling in his eyes.

“...I’ll be in the room, at the desk. So sleep.” Defeated, he let the child get the upper hand on him this once. In a few hours his persons should find his family and return him promptly. He only needed to bear with it for a few hours....

Manually he had to take the hands off his pant leg, but little Archie let him. Maxie was left in quiet as the child fell asleep under the blanket. His exhaustion coupled with the natural warmth of the room was ideal for such a quick transition.

Doing paperwork, hours ticked by and before he realized it, the clock struck 4 pm. His grunts had been out for almost 10 hours. Surely they had gathered the necessary information?

Almost on cue his phone buzzed, but the message itself was of little use to him.

|May we discuss next month’s land conservation project?|

|Fine. But make it quick.|

He never understood why he kept that old habit up. The discussions always lasted 3 hours at a minimum with grunts filing in and out to bring in their reports.

“And thus with the current windflow and predicted weather patterns, as well as the patterns documented over the past 25 years during this period we can safely say-”

The soft pitter patter of feet broke him out of his lecture as the boy- Archie, half asleep and pulling the futon’s blanket, clammered up to him.

“Good, you’re awake.” Sending a grunt to prepare a small meal, Maxie set out a cushion on the floor so he could eat at the table. Wrapping himself in the blanket, Archie sat down and tried not to doze off.

“Tabitha, has there been any progress regarding the child?”

“No sir. I sent grunts to every town, even Pacifidlog! No one has ever heard of him, and no reports have been filed in the last 6 months resembling him. If I may add...” His expression grew troubled, and with a wave of a hand to continue, he murmured. “There are no reports of him...period. No birth records, school records, nothing.”

“And how, pray tell, were you able to discern that without a name?”

“One of the grunts found these in the boy’s clothing you told them to wash.”

A wrinkled birth certificate, social card, even photo ID was laid out onto the table.

“My apologies for not telling you sooner, but we needed to make sure they were not falsified.”

“.... ... ...Right.” Even through the creases and dried liquids, the name ARCHIBALD was written clearly on the certificate, but the last name was scribbled out in black pen, quite forcefully too.

“What should we do with him?”

“... ... ...” Folding his hands, he let out a long breath, staring intensely at the table. “Have you traced the birth certificate back to the original hospital?”

“That’s another thing...” Tabitha rubbed his neck lightly. “The hospital it came from was part of a large branch that was in every region until about 5 years ago...It has since been closed down completely.”

“And after such a length of time all the dated paperwork would have been shredded to make room....”  
“We can not turn him over to the police.” Courtney’s voice piped up as she arrived with the plate of food. “They’d send him to foster care.”

“... ... ...” A few grunts agreed, expressing their distaste for how they did things ‘over there.’

While this new issue would be extremely problematic if allowed to stay, the idea of such a young child being thrown from home to home in such a manner...

“....it looks as if I have no choice.”

With not a second wasted, many looked relieved and spoke at him with more respect, heavens knows why. All the while Archie, a new found hunger awoken inside him, ate eagerly.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The next few days, Maxie expected, would be dealing with a adjusting and unhappy child. Quite the contrary, it took almost 2 weeks for the base to adjust to _him_.

Though very small, Archie was bustling with energy from when he got up until he staggered to bed. He liked to run down the halls and ‘imagine stuff’ as he put it. Getting him out of the bath was a faite in itself with how much the boy loved the water. Constantly asking for another 5 minutes because ‘the pirates are finally gonna catch the shiny lugia.’ He wasn’t frightened by Courtney or Tabitha, although he didn’t engage with them unless he knew Maxie was nearby. The grunts fawned over him; getting him clothes, toys and snacks as soon as he was allowed to stay permanently, essentially spoiling him rotten before the week’s end.

There was a strange fact he had refused to let spread to the grunts; when he had taken him to the doctor to see if he had any illnesses or allergies, the doctor, a former scientist for them, said they had something they would like to check after hearing how they found Archie. Not too long after, the results had him on edge. The child, Archie, had the exact same chemical makeup as Team Aqua Leader Archie. An identical copy they said. A possible abnormality of their earlier antics when they awakened primal Kyogre and Groudon. Any plans to do further tests or experiments were shot down for humility sake.

Even with that, he listened to Maxie. Following him often as he went about his day. Drawing when he asked him to be quiet for a important meeting. Going to bed when asked, and waking up with no issues. Archie had a habit however, one he had tried to nip at the bud, but gave up on with how often the boy did it. If, in any event, Archie felt either ignored or generally seeked comfort, he’d climb into Maxie’s lap and press himself against him. Regardless if in a meeting or not, and for hours at a time.

At that point, many of his subordinates, while surprised at first, now just looked at it as normal.

“Our boss sure is amazing...”

“I knew he was great...but this is just...”

“An angel.”

He wished they’d spend more time working than they spent gossiping. They got impressed too easily as well he noted.

And even though they had taken him in, Maxie made sure to keep updated on if any missing reports or perhaps even Archie’s family (should the test have been wrong), came forward.

“Sir!” Broken out of his thought, he nodded to two grunts and Courtney as they filed into the room. Archie was curled up in his lap, sleeping. Another thing he had thankfully figured out early on was if you held the boy, even with one arm, the time he spent there was drastically halved. Making particular meeting incidents easily handleable.

“We’ve received a request from Team Aqua.”

“...oh?” Looking over the paper, the words seemed haphazardly typed in bold.

-To Team Magma Leader Maxie-

-How’s it going bro? Been a long time since we’ve heard anything from you!-

He was tempted to toss the paper at that point.

-Anyway, recently we’ve, well mostly I, found something that’s very strange. When you got the time, can you stop by Lilycove? Just you, and as soon as possible would be prefered.-

It seemed rushed, and....contradicting. A ‘very strange thing’...?

-Archie

“How...brief.” _Not to mention vague._ “They’re requesting I go to Lilycove to oversee something they’ve found.”

“Then we can send-”

“Alone.”

The grunts visibly disapproved at the idea, sharing suspicious looks at each other.

“You and the boy should go.” Courtney stated suddenly. “Fresh air is good for you. It’s been almost 2 weeks...”

Ah...right....other than the doctor’s visit, they haven’t left the base on account of the paperwork.

“Why don’t you take him to the beach Boss? Those Team Aqua delinquents won’t try anything if they see you have a kid.”

“I wanna go...” Archie’s voice piped up sleepily, shifting in his lap. “I wanna go to beach....”

“He’s been good so far, and cooping a kid up for that long is...”

“Yes, yes I get it.” His voice came out more stern than anticipated, but nevertheless it shut the grunts up. “.....send a message to Team Aqua’s leader; agreeing to, but requesting he too be alone. The location will be Lilycove beach tomorrow at around noon.”

“Yes sir!”

“Courtney, we’ll need swim trunks for him. As well as sunscreen and the like.” She smiled gently and nodded eagerly as he sighed.

“I hate the beach...”

“We’re going to the beach?!” Now fully awake, Archie excited jumped up. Steadying himself after nearly falling backwards and Maxie caught him.

“Tomorrow morning, yes. Now get down before you fall.”

“I’mma swim in the ocean and eat ice-cream and...!” Nothing could distract him after that. During the bath, as he ate, until he laid down to sleep Archie practically bounced up and down and spoke of what he was going to do. “And...an...d...”

Waiting patiently for him to fall asleep was the hardest part of the day, having made the boy a room of his own, it was the perfect temperature for sleeping. Making staying awake...

“Boss?”

“Nggh....” Blinking a few times, Maxie pushed himself up. His arm grasped tightly by Archie who was still fast asleep. “I swear to Arceus if that’s a phone Tabitha...”

...virtually impossible.

“O-of course not..!” Ignoring the rustling of something being stuffed into a pocket.

He let out a yawn before waking the child, moving any toys near the bed with his feet as he stood up. A few audible pops of his back and hiss of pain fully awoke him.

“Time.”

“8:30 boss.”

_So we’ve overslept..._

“We also received a message back from Team Aqua.” Handing the paper to him, he rubbed his eyes slightly, narrowing them to see the words better.

-Bro-

Where did that fool get off thinking he can call him whatever he pleased?

-Maxie, thanks. I’ll be alone as promised. Me and the thing I talked about. Don’t be late.-

-Archie-

That man...

“We’ve already readied the crobats sir.”

“Good. Wake the boy while I get dressed.”

“With all due respect sir....” He quirked an eyebrow at Tabitha, the other slumping his shoulders. “He is not fond of me, and might make a fuss if I attempt to....”

“He’s just a child.”

“He only likes you.” That comment seemed ridiculous, Archie was more than pleased with how the grunts fawned over him, or how his admins played with him.

“I severely doubt that.” Regardless, he shook the tiny shoulder as gently as he could. Sapphire blue orbs opening at once, before their owner jumped out of bed happily.

“Go brush your teeth before you get dressed.”

“O’kay!” His form ran to the bathroom to set up his stool in a rush.

“Tabitha, we will not be attending breakfast this morning.” Slipping into his own room, he called through the door.

“Of course, it will be long flight.” Quietly he heard his admin tell Archie to ‘Calm down. The beach isn’t going anywhere.’ in a stern tone, but the boy walked past him grumbling of how much of a killjoy the man was. Their banter continued well into the next 20 minutes, that of which he shut them both down with a warning.

The flight there had been tedious and uneventful, even the child began losing vigar about half way there.

“The beachhhhhhh!” As soon as they landed in Lilycove however, that energy was back full force. “Maxie Maxie....! Can we go swimming already?!”

“Let me find a spot to set up first.”

A spot with a nice amount of shade, not too close to the water and a fair distance away from any ‘popular’ areas. He let the boy help him set out the blankets and umbrella. Putting sunscreen on them both, and then his wailmer floaties, Archie ran through the sand and dived into the water. Maxie sat down and looked around the coastline as he picked at his ‘normal’ clothing. Shorts, actual swimming trunks he believed, and a plain shirt really did not suit him.

“It’s cold!” Archie laughed loudly. He nodded in acknowledgment. “Aren’t you coming in too?”

“Not today Archie. I have to speak with someone important.”

“Fineee...” He pouted and in a soft voice asked. “Next time?”

“Yes, next time.” He wasn’t promising anything, but right now he need the child to be calm and preoccupied while he and his old rival spoke of...whatever was so important. “Don’t go too deep now.”

“Yooo! Ya actually came...!” A estatic, but tired sounding voice boomed from further down the beach.

“Archie.” The Aqua leader walked up to him slowly, and frankly the other’s condition surprised him. His eyes were exhausted and had dark bags under them, and he had lost some muscle mass. A few stress lines had also appeared around his eyes. “What pointless thing have you dragged me out for now?”

“Gez Maxie, I’m doin swell, thanks fer askin.” The larger man sighed, eyeing him warily.

“You are clearly not.”

“Look I’m not here for a lecture-” He narrowed his eyes, looking at Maxie up and down. “You’ve gained weight.”

His teeth gritted at the comment. Archie shaking his head when he realized the result.

“N-no I mean...ya actually look healthy for once.”

“Is that some attempt at flattery? Still an empty headed pirate as before I see.”

“HEY!” Archie was clearly not in the mood, nor the right frame of mind to argue. As his temper flared up to match Maxie’s.

“MAXIEEEEE!” The sloshing of sand drew their attention to little Archie, running up to Maxie soaking wet. “There’s a ton of pokemon in the water...!!!”

“Yes Yes, dry off before you sit down and rest, alright?” Pressing a towel against the boy’s head, he rubbed it until his hair was at least not dripping. Little Archie grinned the entire time, huddling into the large towel like a blanket.

“Who’s that?”

“Arch-”

“That yer kid?” Aqua’s Archie suddenly spoke, looking a little baffled.

“My name’s Archie!!” The boy grumbled, glaring at him.

“....is that so? Guess ya found me then.” Whatever he was spouting nonsense about, Maxie wasn’t sure, until he noticed a small set of hands grasping the man’s leg. “I found ya too.”

A mess of long red hair tied back poked out from behind him, shivering and clearly terrified. His eyes large, green, and wet looked at them worriedly. Pale skin lathered in sunscreen and with black floaters, he was dressed for the beach.

“Come on Max, say hi.” Lightly Archie tried to push him forward, but he just shook his head violently and moved behind him again. “Never knew ya cried so much...”

“Excuse me?” Part of him felt offended at the notion, but then he was reminded of how different the child version of Archie acted from his rival.

“I haven’t had a solid wink of sleep the past week dude...the scamp cries about everything.” He yawned as he petted the scared boy’s head. “Can’t leave him alone, can’t leave him with Shelly or Matt, he’s terrified of the crew...scared of the dark...”

“...I suppose that could create some issues.” His Archie had expressed similar fears of the dark, but refused to cry and instead would sneak into his room if not make Maxie sleep in his bed with him.

“Ya think?”

“Archie, say hello.” At the mere mention of his name, he jumped up eagerly from under the umbrella, running over to and looking at Max curiously before smiling.

“Hi! My name’s Archie, what’s your’s???”

Little Archie’s grin widened when slowly, Max peeked out from behind Archie. His voice was tiny and shaking. “...Maxie...”

“Really?! Can I call you Max?”

“Um....I....guess so...”

“Great! Let’s go Max!”

“..huh? W-wait!”

Without waiting for the other, little Archie grabbed Max’s hand and ran toward the water. The other stumbled a bit, trying to stutter out an excuse before he was dragged in too.

“That should keep them busy for now.” Maxie sat under the umbrella with a sigh, the sun was obnoxiously bright today and every second not wasted near the water was preferable.

“Oh thank Arceus....” Without even ASKING, Archie threw himself onto the blanket next to him, making a puff of sand blow on him. With a scowl, he brushed it off while glaring at the man trying to get comfortable.

“...I found ya in my base. Near the old diving area. You were soaked to the bone, shaking an cryin like hell.” He muffled out, back to the sky and face resting on his hands. “Nobody could get close to ya, and it took almost all day to get you. It’s not exactly warm down there. Had to pick ya up, kickin and screamin, and forcin ya into the bath before ya finally passed out.”

“YOU were in a closet. Crying in a corner.” Archie snorted at that. “Covered in mud and cuts. While you avoided my subordinates, you literally forced yourself on me.”

“Hah...why do ya always get the easy jobs...?”

He let the sentence hang there for a bit, instead watching the kids play in the ocean before even considering whatever the hell Archie was on about. Probably deranged rambling from lack of sleep. Maxie had his base made in a cliff, with a goal to bring about a drought causing legendary pokemon that required a water pokemon to REACH. Climbing that steep slope everytime he wanted to go anywhere was a pain, and no one on his team HAD a water pokemon. They were a ground based operation!

He considered snapping at him now, but found the man fast asleep, snoring softly. Great. Now he had to watch **both** kids.

“Come on Max! There’s something shiny!!!” Little Archie laughed, tugging the other’s hand forward. Max shuddered in the cold water, not very far from him as they waded into deeper water.

“W-wait...! Isn’t that...too deep??”

“No! It’s...like 5 feet!”

“That’s too deep!!”

“See? That shiny thing..??” The two stood hand in hand, staring at...something, the clear water soon began to bubble violently.

“Archie...Can we go...?” He could hear Max whimper, tugging little Archie’s arm back.

“..Y-yeah.”

“You two-” Maxie went to call them in when the bubbles ceased for a second. Not another after that, a large tentacruel burst from the water.

“CRUELLLL!”

Little Archie instantly got in front of Max, trying to shield him as they tried to back off from the enraged pokemon.

“Shit...! Crobat!” Maxie cursed. In a panic he dug out the pokeball from his bag and threw it. The moment the red vanished, he called for it to attack.

“Use Acrobatics!”

His pokemon became a blur of purple, appearing as if from air before the Tentacruel, the next moment knocking it above water a few feet into one of the capes rocks.

“Chhhhck....”

“Excellent job.” He called, Max and little Archie running back to the beach before sluggishly walking onto the sands.

“*hic* ahHHHH...*hic*” They were still hand in hand, Max shaking violently and sobbing while his Archie...had a stoic face.

“Are you two alright?” He looked them over quickly, checking for any prick or sting marks.

“... ... ...”

“Archie? What’s wrong?” He heard him whisper something, but it was too soft for him to catch. Glancing around, Maxie lowered himself to Archie’s eye level, gently moving his head upward to get him to look at him. “Come on...what’s wrong?”

“I...I wasn’t scared....” He suddenly cried out, large tears forming in his eyes. “I wasn’t....!!”

.....*sigh* Neither child was injured thankfully, but they were deeply shaken from the experience. First he wrapped them in towels (sacrificing his emergency towel), and had attempted to get them an ice cream, but in their condition, he ended up back under the umbrella, little Archie and Max pressed against him in his lap crying in unison. His crobat circling the area angrily, even against his wishes.

 _All the while this bastard is still asleep...!_ The smoldering anger rose with each hour that passed, the children refused to move, terrified of the water and seeking comfort from HIM.

“...hold still.” Pulling out his handkerchief, he wiped his child’s eyes before doing the same for Max, then covering the little nose and commanding him to blow before wiping it clean. _Ugh...._

“... ...never knew you were the maternal type Maxie.” The sleepy laugh that followed tempted him to throw Archie into the water with the Tentacruel. How long had he been up?! Slowly, the Aqua leader sat up, stretching and smiling wide at him. “Ya have no idea how much I needed that.”

“*hic*....” Max’s sobs had died down at this point, his grip on Maxie’s shirt only slacking slightly. Noticing his tears, as well as little Archie’s, he gave a panicked glance.

“...what happened now?”

“...there was a Tentacruel in the water. It tried to attack them.”

“W-what?!” He all but shouted, making the kids jerk in surprise. “Why didn’t ya wake me up?!”

The glare Maxie sent him shut him up instantly.

“Sorry...” It sounded forced, but it was enough. Archie at least looked SOMEWHAT apologetic. He understood the man was tired, but still!

“I took care of it.”

“... ... ...” Rubbing the back of his head, Archie seemed to be internally fighting himself before getting up and offering his hand. “Ya haven’t eaten yet, right? How bout we get dinner? My treat.”

Narrowing his eyes, Maxie looked at him suspiciously. The sudden offer was strange. Even for helping his ‘child.’

“Come on Maxie, the kids are probably starving. And well...” He could see Archie’s face visibly tense as he muttered. “I...owe you one.”

“... fine.” Standing up, he shooed the kids off the blankets after taking off and deflating the floaters. As well as getting proper clothes for them (and borrowing Max some of Archie’s). Rolling up the blankets, he shook off any sand and packed them away in the bag before handing it to Archie. “You can make yourself useful then.”

“... ... Yer like a demanding mother.” Another glare, this time harsher, quieted him into muttering under his breath.

“Crobat. We’re going.” Calling out near the shore, his pokemon returned to its pokeball after giving the surface one more circle. “Good job.”

“Are we going home?” Little Archie asked, keeping close to Max.

“We’re going to eat first, alright?” The child nodded, the other nodding in understanding as well. Maxie ushered them up the staircase back towards town, Archie following behind.

“... we have to go with HIM?” Well...that was sudden. Little Archie’s words were sharp and angry, giving Archie a heated look that caught both adults by surprise.

“Archie..” A warning tone, as much as he was at odds with the man, he would not tolerate disrespect at such a young age. Max looked stunned by the other’s anger, shaking at the tone he used.

“... ... ...*hmph!*” With another annoyed look, little Archie grabbed Maxie’s hand and pulled Max to grab his other. Both children’s hands gripping his first two fingers while Archie snickered.

“How precious.” Archie mocked.

“Say another word and I’ll throw you in with the Tentacruel.”

“Ya know, Mother Maxie does have a nice ring to it-”

“Since Archie has been so _kind_ to treat us, get whatever you want.”

“Huh?! Anything?!” Both children looked up at him excitedly, Archie’s sudden snark dying down to worry. “Yayy!”

“.......” Maxie could feel daggers being stared into his back, making his victorious smile all the more enraging to the Aqua leader. And all the more sweeter at his reaction to the bill.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Jobs had become rather scarce in the following weeks. Enough to keeps things going strong, but otherwise leaving Team Magma and everyone in it with copious amounts of free time. So much so many had begun taking up hobbies and for some part time jobs.

“The c-cat sat in the...back, with the rat. To...togeth-her-”

“Together.”

“Together! Together they went to scu...school.”

Maxie on the other hand had decided to spend more time with the child. He had nothing better to do anyway. Thus, he figured, why not teach little Archie early? Reading, spelling, math, science...with a little patience he knew the boy could become a prodigy.

He already had an infatuation with art; sketching, painting, coloring, even a bit of sculpting. Thankfully Courtney had known of a place that sold reasonably priced art supplies with the amount of pencils Archie had made a few inches long from constant sharpening.

“Maxieeeee.”

“Archie, don’t whine.” Maxie had begun cleaning up the mess of pencil shavings on the table before lining up the stack of books into proper order. “What is it?”

“I’m dyinggggg.” In an over dramatic fashion, little Archie posed as if in pain on the floor.

“Dinner is in a hour. You’ll survive.”

“No...! Look! See? My stomachs all sunken in!”

This child...now he could see the resemblance between him and the grown one.

“That’s because you’re lying down.”

“Tabitha’s belly doesn’t! And he’s ALWAYS healthy!”

“Archie-” He began. How could you explain the varying body types of others to a child who didn’t, no, REFUSED to listen to why he couldn’t sleep in the bath at night instead of his bed? “What are you even getting at?”

“Well...” Sitting up, the child smiled slyly.

“Well...?” He pressed. Regardless how smart he thought he was, little Archie was rather obvious.

“We’ve been doing lots of Math stuff...and reading and ya know? Brain stuff.” Giving a glance at the practice sheets before continuing. “You and Tabitha and Courtney all say to eat to keep your energy up. And you said sugar’s brain food so....”

“Are you suggesting I’m working you too hard?” He quirked up an eyebrow. “And that your brain energy is ‘dangerously’ low?”

“Yes!” Archie nodded, acting rather impressed.

“And what is your plan to fix that?”

“Just one cookie.”

“Just one?” Maxie repeated, holding in a chuckle.

“Only one.” Little Archie tried to act casual, before quickly adding. “The pokemon ones. And then I’ll be fine til dinner.”

Pretending to think it over, he watched the child’s face go from relaxed to pleading. He had to give him credit, as far as an argument for something went, as untrue as it was, for such a young boy it was pretty sound. Sighing, Maxie muttered a ‘fine.’

“Um...! I’ll pick it out to...you know....” Fumbling, the tiny feet followed him to the cabinet. “Make sure it has enough fuel!”

A vibration in his pocket dragged his attention to a phone call from a number...he...

“How did you get my number?!” Trying to keep his voice controlled, he heard Team Aqua’s leader Archie grumble something. “ARCHIE-!”

The child visibly flinched, and Maxie quickly patted his shoulder before placing the cookie container back on the shelf. “No, not you.”

“It’s on the parole papers they sent us.” Archie muttered again, much more audible this time. His tone was on edge, and the usual insults seemed to be traded for moodiness.

“What, then.”

“What...?”

“What are you bothering me for?” The confused voice his rival had answered him with only sparked irritation. Calling him on his private phone, with no idea why he even did so...?!

“You...!” A low growl was heard before Archie spoke up again. “....I need a favor.”

“... ... ...What.” For a moment the line went silent, and he considered hanging up on the man.

“I need ya to watch Max for a few.”

“A few...what? Hours?”

“...days.” Of all the...!

“Archibald...!” Maxie was no babysitter. Free or no he would not let his rival throw another child at him to take care of while he-

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!” The snarl on the other side made him move the phone away from his ear. A few pants, and the sound of crying in the background was all that was audible for a few minutes. “... ... ...you still there?”

“Real mature.”

“Shut it.” Another sigh. “Can ya or can’t ya?”

“... ... ...” Maxie glanced at little Archie. The boy was sitting and waiting patiently for him to join him on the couch, munching on a munchlax cookie and trying to be as neat about it as possible.

“Maxie?”

The research he read on child care kept going on about socializing early to better stop any issues later. There were no children in the base, nor nowhere near them. As happy as he was, when he was put into school, as he would have to be at some point, it would be preferable to have shyness be one of the last concerns.

“Did he...?! MAXIE.”

Scrunching his nose, Maxie kept his tone as even as possible. “...how many days?”

“....!” A muffled grumble of surprise was heard before Archie finally answered. “Four. Five at the latest.”

“....that’s more than a ‘few,’ Archie.”

“I gotta do some projects for a buncha bigwigs and I’ll be outta town. SOMEONE has to watch Max, and everyone else, from grunt to admin, are already neck deep in work!”

“... ... ...” Almost a week. Could he even handle that? Well, technically he had the grunts too...if they weren’t busy.

“Please?”

_Well Well well..._

The word sounded foreign, forced and very very pathetic.

“Fine.” Maxie supposed he could be nice, just this once. It didn’t stop a laugh from escaping at the other’s desperation however.

“... ...yer fucking laughing aren’t ya?!”

“I have no idea what you’re going on about.” Rolling his eyes at the string of curses that followed. “When should I expect him?”

“Tomorrow.” The reply was immediate. “I need to leave immediately so....”

“...alright.”

“... ... ...”

“Was there something else?” He swore he could hear Archie mumbling something. “Hmm?”

“...No. Nothing.”

“Yes, you’re welcome Archibald.” Pressing end call, he smirked at the roar he caused the other to make before hanging up.

“Archie?” He called, placing the phone back into his pocket.

“Yeah?” Little Archie looked up from flipping through the channels on TV. His show wouldn’t be on for another 10 minutes.

“Max is coming to stay over for awhile.”

“REALLY?!” He jumped off the couch and ran up to him, hopping slightly. “When?? For how long?!”

“Tomorrow, and for a couple days.”

“He’s gonna sleep here too?! So like a sleepover?!!?” Maxie nodded and little Archie began running around cleaning up. A strange sight for such a messy child.

Dinner was a bit quiet that evening, many of the base’s inhabitants were away so just once, he allowed him and the boy eat in his office. Archie was watching some action ranger show, and was fully engrossed to the point he had to remind the child his food was getting cold.

|Next time on Hoenn Rangers: Coexistence force!|

“I wonder if Max watches Hoenn Rangers too...”

“Archie don’t talk when brushing your teeth.” Picking up a hand towel Maxie held it under his chin. “You’re drooling everywhere.”

“Sarrie.” Sighing, he wiped the boy’s face as the other smiled sheepishly. “Um...Maxie?”

“Hm?”

Little Archie grew quiet and quickly shook his head and refused to look at him.

“N-nevermind.”

Maxie watched him push the stool back into place before rushing off to his bedroom.

_Odd..._

Any attempt to talk to Archie was met with an embarrassed ‘I can sleep by myself!’ and for the first time in awhile, Maxie went to his room by himself without reading to the child. While concerned, he shook it off to some attempt at independence.

After some time of restless turning, sleep came in a sudden wave that was disturbed by a soft groaning sound. Though groggy, the soft pitter patter of feet nearing his bed made him shift more towards the wall. A slight weight and noise of effort was ‘ignored’ as he felt Archie’s hands grip his shirt.

“Maxie...” A light tugging turned almost urgent, shaking his back near violently.

“... ... ...” He made a muffled sound of annoyance, but turned over to look at him. “Mng...what?”

“C..can I sleep with you...? ‘m sorry...” Little Archie’s voice shook with each word. Sounding tiny, scared even.

“...what for?” Rolling over on his back, Maxie let his arm lay extended as Archie snuggled up to his side. He tried to rest his head on the man’s shoulder, moving around to find a comfortable position before finally settling near Maxie’s chest.

“...promise you won’t get mad...?”

Giving him a small nod, he could feel his head lower slightly.

“Is it okay...if I call you dad?” Maxie felt his muscles tense, his mind being fully awakened at the child’s words. Patient silence followed, waiting for his response through the darkness and glow of the clock. Shakily, he ran a hand through his hair, heaving out a long breath while trying to find the proper words.

Maxie had never wanted kids. Not only was it impossible, he believed, to find a wife with his lifestyle, but the idea typically made him wince at the stupidity. Children were messy, parasitic things that required lots of time and energy for a indeterminable future. You could raise them with all the ‘love’ and ‘care’ you wanted, throwing your life away to make sure they had a chance to be the best. Yet at any point those children could destroy everything you did, or worse, become something that no parent could make excuses for anymore. That thought of choosing such a gamble, willingly and eagerly...baffled him.

“!” Little Archie looked up at him surprised as he ruffled the child’s hair. A gamble...no, an experiment. Ignoring something he could not understand was more worrisome than the fleeting doubt of other’s failures. He was intelligent, he would learn why and how. This event was not very shocking either, being the sole guardian to such a young child would eventually lead to this at some point anyway.

“I’m not exactly very fitting of the father role.” He tried to explain this to little Archie. Not as a dismissal, but to get the other to understand.

“You’re very nice to me!” The sudden loudness instantly lowered. “Mama and papa....they went on a trip and never came back...it was scary all by myself....they wouldn’t let me go with ‘em. I don’t know why....but you’re always here. You never leave me by myself. Even when you get mad...you don’t scream at me. Mama always did, and papa was never home.”

Maxie had never asked about the boy’s parents, nor did he feel he had the right to ask Archie. Whenever the subject was brought up little Archie would get quiet, and avoided it until it was dropped. He had warned the grunts to not speak of the matter any further, as any attempt clearly distressed Archie greatly.

“So...so....” He could feel him clinging to his form, trembling and trying not to cry.

“Alright.”

“... ... *sniffle*” He wasn’t crying, but little Archie buried his face into his side before falling asleep. Maxie layed there for a few moments, listening to the quiet breathing and ticking of the clock. Over thinking, worrying over such a matter....that was pointless. Closing his eyes with that thought, he too fell asleep.

“Sir...? Sir wake up!” A frantic knocking at his door dragged his mind from the first real good night of rest he had had in ages. Whether it was one of his grunts, or his admins, he would respond with a sharp ‘WHAT.’

“I’m sorry sir but a Team Aqua Crobat has been spotted heading toward the base with an unknown passenger.” Glancing at the clock, the lights read 10:54 am.

Ugh...already...?

“I’ll be out in a moment.” Waking Archie, he moved to the wardrobe and tied back his bedhead to look somewhat presentible. He considered changing the sweater he had slept in, but it wasn’t wrinkled or stained so he left it. With all the free time he had, he briefly realized how...sloppy, he was becoming. Lazy even.

Maxie snorted. How preposterous. Him, the great Maxie, lazy? SLOPPY?! He was nothing short of perfect-! Glancing down, he noticed his black pants were very much wrinkled, but they weren’t THAT wrinkled- Oh god he was becoming a slob.

“Sir?”

“Coming.” Responding sternly, he gave Archie one last shake before leaving the room, and following behind one of the grunts that turned into many as they walked outside. Surrounding the area in a circle as a crobat, Archie’s, Maxie knew, slowly lowered onto the ground.

“Relax.” His voice rang out over their murmurs, making many flinch before doing as instructed.

“....ua.h........” A soft whimper could be heard, and he had expected to see Team Aqua’s leader. Instead there just sat a very violently shaking Max, eyes as wide as saucers and a large bag hanging off the pokemon’s midsection.

 _He...didn’t seriously....?_ As soon as Max noticed him, the child cried his name, sobbing uncontrollably. _That idiot PUT THE KID ON A CROBAT BY HIMSELF FOR 2 HOURS?!_

His grunts looked between them and then back at him, eyeing their leader as he picked the boy up and moved him to one arm. Using the other to take the bag and shouldering it with a huff. It was heavy, loaded to near bursting and a hideous shade of blue with a obnoxiously large Aqua symbol plastered on the front.

“Uawwhhh...*hic*” Max hid in the crook of Maxie’s neck, fists full of red sweater and choking back sobs. Cooing softly to him, he instructed his team to feed the very tired and confused pokemon.

“Boss...um...who's the kid?”

A small group of grunts were watching him intently. If this was before, he could and would yell at them to get back to work, that he owed them no explanation. He was trying, really it was so hard, to be more...tolerant of them. Beyond their constant questions and probing eyes were competent individuals. Just...sometimes...

“I’m watching him this week.” Anymore information could jeopardize their secret, if not give them the wrong idea about him and Archie. Bare basic need to know scenarios had never been his cup of tea. He liked to know who was all for or no, not trusting the silly thing called blind devotion.

Balancing the two weights on his shoulders were an act in itself. To keep it seemly normal meant less questions. Max had quieted down to a stray hiccup every so often. Cheek pressed against Maxie’s turtleneck and green eyes looking at him unsure.

_Wait, **green**?_

Doing a double take he squinted, making sure he saw that right. Had he not noticed before?

“... ...?” Blinking, the child hesitantly reached a hand out and touched his face.

“....what are you doing?” One hand tiny hand, then two pressed against Maxie’s cheeks. Max was being very gentle, pushing and moving his face curiously. The boy seemed to have no interest answering him, too wrapped up in...whatever it was he was doing. So, lightly, he nipped the finger close to his mouth. Immediately Max pulled his hands back, eyeing his finger and then looking back up at him. Cautiously the hand went for his face again, and again he lightly nipped a finger.

“... ... ...” The puffed cheeks and poor excuse for a glare were enough confirmation that the child knew full well what he was doing. Probably what he did to Archie’s unconscious body from all the reported projects Team Aqua had taken on. The amount was ridiculous, even to Maxie.

“Move down.” Max’s voice shook a little, but the determination on his face almost made him seem serious.

“Why?” He muttered. It was somewhat amusing watching a younger version of himself get so flustered and refusing to answer anything further, but he had a door to somehow open with both hands full. Hoping there was no breakables, he dropped the aqua bag and went to grab the door handle.

He felt Max’s arms wrap around his neck, pressing himself as close as possible without suffocating him. Sighing, Maxie just let it happen. Fighting children on that matter had gotten him nowhere near instantly. Kicking the barely ajar door he shuffled into his office while dragging the bag by it’s handle.

_I honestly don’t recall ever being this clingy..._

“Archie!” The bag was thrown on the couch. “Max is here.”

The thudding of feet rushing toward him gave little warning to little Archie tackling his leg.

“Maxxxx! Welcomeeee!” Maxie snorted, the child giggled and waved to a slowly smiling Max.

The next few days were filled with chasing after two laughing children. Not surprisingly his grunts warmed up to Max near instantly.

“I wanna read The Very Hungry Wailord!”

“....but Mother Swana Rhymes...”

Both would press their favorite books into his face, making him read both each night before they would sleep.

“I can’t carry you both. You’re too heavy-” And both would ignore his explanations on why he couldn’t carry them both everywhere. Making his arms sore from two children clinging to his sweater at any point they could ask.

“No, no more snacks. You’re going to eat soon.” Having to deal with two pouting kids that begged worse than any mightyena asking, for the third time that day, for another cookie.

As the 4th day slowed down to sunset, Maxie sat surrounded by the two kids, reading them the only book they both would agree on; ‘My big pokemon book.’

“Oooh....what’s that?!” Archie pointed excitedly to a picture of a wooper dancing.

“That’s a wopper. It’s from the Johto and Sinnoh regions.”

“Um...and this one?” Max pointed at a houndour howling.

“That is a houndour. It’s from Johto and Sinnoh too, but you can find them in Kalos as well.” They took turns pointing out pokemon they found interesting. Each one Maxie tried to explain to the best of his ability. Little Archie had an interest in water types, but also some bug and even a few fire types. Max liked the fire types but had some favorited water and ghost types too.

 _Both are rather different than Archie and I...._ Speaking of the Aqua leader, the next time he ran into him he would check the man’s eye color. That little fact had been bothering him since he noticed Max’s green eyes. For a ‘carbon copy,’ he wasn’t exact.

Maxie didn’t have green eyes. Never did. It had always been an irritating, if somewhat cruelly ironic shade of dark blue. Almost the same as little Archie’s.

“Sir!” A series of knocks broke him out of his thoughts. “Team Aqua Leader Archie has-”

“Yo. I’m here to pick up Max.” The poor grunt nearly shrieked at the larger man’s sudden appearance. Quickly Maxie calmed them down while avoiding the panicked questions of ‘WHY IS HE HERE SIR?!’ and ‘THE KID IS **HIS**?!’ By the time he shooed them away, it was apparent any attempts of avoiding a scandalous rumor had up and vanished with the arrival of his very zombie-like rival.

“Archie you imbecile, you can’t just-....Archie?” Pursing his lips, he narrowed his eyes. Archie was very pale, the bags under his eyes much more pronounced than the time at the beach and his expression was blank. “Are...are you alright?”

“‘m fine.” Each word was roughly stressed to a flat toned voice. His body swayed a little bit, like he was filled with too much energy when clearly that wasn’t the case.

“... ... ...” Maxie sighed lowly. Carefully he guided Archie to his room, instructing a very compliant pirate to sleep. Oh had the tables had turned with that. He’d bother him later about eye color and his incompetence at child safety. Right now he doubted his rival could hold a conversation, much less make the 2 hour flight back home without passing out.

“Is papa asleep?”

Maxie’s head jerked at Max’s words as he closed the door. “Er...yes, Archie’s sleeping.”

“Papa works too much...” Max muttered sadly. Making a small twinge of nostalgia tug at Maxie’s memory. “But he plays with me when he can...mom and dad never did.”

Honestly he had no desire to remember his childhood. The past was the past. His parents were still around, as strained as their relationship was. Yet he was starting to get an idea of at what time these children appeared from.

“Did they...say they were going to a dig site in Kanto?” Bits and pieces of memory still remained of that day. His parents told him they had a new project to collect volcanic samples from Cinnabar Island in the Kanto region. That children weren’t allowed to go so he had to watch the house. His parents never bothered with babysitters, always saying they could trust their ‘little genius’ for a few days.

It took them almost 2 weeks to come home. They refused to speak of what happened, nor did they call during that time. Too busy working. Always too busy. It took months for Maxie to learn that there had been an eruption on the island. That instead of leaving as instructed, his parents had stayed and collected even more samples despite the dangers. And he would have never known if they hadn’t come back.

Max nodded, eyes getting teary as he shifted closer and hugged Maxie’s leg. “They said they’d call...they never do but they promised this time...they promised....”

“Come on...it’s time for bed. Look, Archie’s already in his pajamas.” Slowly he edged him to the bathroom, letting him dress and brush his teeth before they joined little Archie in bed.

“You guys took foreverrrrr!” He pushed himself into Maxie’s lap, Max eventually doing the same as they voted over what book he’d read to them tonight.

“......and little budew never told a lie again. The end.” Maxie shifted the book away, the ‘little budew that cried houndoom’ storybook was put back onto the low hanging shelf. Both kids fast asleep in his arms. He wouldn’t be able to sleep on the couch tonight as he had planned. Stuck, again, in a somewhat comfortable but otherwise crowded bed. Hopefully he’d wake up before they did. He really needed a long bath.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

“....ax....e...?.....a.....” Through the haze of sleep Archie could hear....something. Voices maybe. The bed was so comfortable though. Getting up and checking who or what it was felt like too much of a pain. He was exhausted.

“Pa.....?? ...ke u....” He shifted a bit, something sweet smelling filled his nose as he buried his face into the pillow. Ignoring the feeling of hands, small insistent hands, touching him. Had this been about 3 month’s prior he would have woken with a fright thinking he was in a horror movie.

“Pa-pa! Wake up!” Another rough shake of his shoulder. _Noooo...._

“Get up old man! Get! Up!!” Another voice, loud in his ear. Archie tried to turn over. Maybe the pillow could block them out?

“...! There you two are. I leave you alone for 2 minutes- Get off of him and let him sleep!” A third voice, farther away but familiar. Much too familiar.

“‘s fine...I’m up I’m up.” He groaned, stretching a bit before collapsing fully on the bed. Two weights were on his side, moving and shaking his shoulder again.

“See? I told ya we could wake ‘em up!!”

“Papa! Come onnnn! You’re gonna miss breakfast!”

“Archie get off him. Max you too. You both know better.” Foot steps neared him, stopping at the base as he felt both weights disappearing from his side.

“Maxie...?” Archie called, pulling his face out of the pillow to look around. Spotting his old rival with a child in each arm, looking a tad peeved but otherwise relaxed. His little double happily clinging to him while Max was observing him buried against Maxie’s shoulder.

“You can go back to sleep-”

“No...I’m up.” He forced himself up, the black satin blankets pooling to his waist. The temperature in the room only made him start to doze off again. It was so warm, but not stuffy or humid.

“Then go take a shower. Breakfast should be done shortly.” Maxie huffed as the children began chatting back and forth.

“Yes _Mother_.” If his hands weren’t full Archie bet he would’ve sent him a dirty look judging from the intense side ways stare he got. But he shrugged it off. Even with a full night’s rest he felt dead and right now a shower would do a whole lotta good.

“It’s on your left.” He heard Maxie call as he exited the room and slipped into the bathroom.

Boy was he right. With Maxie’s home being so intertwined and near the natural springs and lava meant the water was a perfect soaking temperature. He could’ve spent all day in the porcelain tub staring up at the carefully carved ceiling. Steam rose and he considered taking a quick nap. He doubted, or rather, he didn’t care if Maxie minded.

Archie was **tired**. All that work they kept piling on him and his crew for probation was ridiculous. But he couldn’t say no. Not only for pride’s sake, but because the papers literally said he HAD to.

Maxie definitely had the better end of the stick on this one. There was so much less land than water. So much so that even in slow season there was an endless amount of work to be done. He couldn’t leave all that to his team. Archie already nearly destroyed their lives once. He wasn’t going to throw his work on them too. They had finally started to move on. Some were even getting married!

“Archie-” Archie jolted up, dragging the curtain to cover anything as the door opened.

“Holy shi-!? Ever hear of KNOCKING?!” Maxie just waltzed into the bathroom like he owned the place-! Er...well he technically did but its the PRINCIPLE!

His rival rolled his eyes at him, folding his arms and just stood there. “Are you about done? Breakfast is ready.”

“YES! Okay ’m getting out, so...shoo.” Archie felt his fists tug the black shower curtain as he made a face at the man. Maxie just quirked an eyebrow at him.

“I’d expect a pirate to be less....timid.”

“Who are ya callin timid?!” He barked, shame burning his cheeks.

“Just hurry up. It’s getting cold.” Maxie turned before stopping again. “Ah, and your clothes are currently in the wash so-”

“HOW?!” He snapped. He had taken his clothes off IN the bathroom! They were right....! Right...? “Did ya come in here earlier...?!”

“I...you _looked_ at me while I picked them up!” The redhead threw up his hands in frustration.

“... ... ...” Okay so he wasn’t paying attention and maybe he had been dozing off. Sue him. “....mng....”

“*sigh* like I was saying; your clothes are in the wash, I left you some clean clothes on the sink.”

“Why.” He seethed.

“Judging from the fact you failed to take care of yourself when you arrived I shudder to think what condition you’ve let your clothes be in.” Maxie wrinkled his nose. “I’m not letting such filth on my furniture.”

“Well jokes on ya nerd! That bed I slept in-!”

“The sheets and blanket have already been washed. The pillow is next.” That made Archie scowl. Maxie was always one step ahead if it meant just pissing him off. “Now hurry up.”

He shut the door behind him and Archie considered getting back in the bath. Just out of spite. It’d be pointless though, and hey he WAS getting a free meal out of it. On top of free baby sitting.

That one made him huff. Okay so he was kind of being a dick to the guy who willingly watched his kid for free for almost a week. And let him sleep in his base. And was now giving him clean clothes and a hot meal.

 _FUCK...!_ He grumbled irritably. Not that Archie didn’t appreciate the change in behavior. Maxie was so much more...or rather less....like his old self. His maybe 4 months ago old self. Had it really already been that long? Not like he had much time to enjoy the time off....

The clothes...oddly fit. The pants were a little baggy but he could work with that. Beat the strict office attire he had to wear now more often than not. Finding button ups in his size was difficult to say the least.

He glanced at the door, the handle was jiggling a bit. _Oh for Arceus’s sake...!_

“Maxie I just sai-”

“Hurry uppppp!” His little self swung the door open and glared at him. “Yer takin forever!”

“Yeah Yeah...” Archie didn’t know what the little guy had against him. Maybe a bad first impression since he passed out that one time? He wasn’t sure. “‘m comin.”

“... ... old man.” He flinched before frowning at the boy. His gaze was unwavering like Maxie’s even as Archie loomed over him. Shrugging, he just picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. “Put me dowwwnnnn!”

“Ah, there you two are.” Maxie was already at a table. As was the food. He ignored the face his rival made at his hair. Like HE was one to talk! “... I take it Archie convinced you to...how did he put it...?”

“‘Move his butt?’” Max asked. Looking rather happy to see him. At least someone was.

“Quite. Anyway, sit.” The kids instantly tried to claim ownership of Maxie’s lap. Which was met with a scolding and a reminder _there were other seats_. Archie was then given a viewing of what he assumed was a normal long winded explanation by the scamps on why it was so important they take his lap. After which they settled on Max taking Archie’s and his little self as the sole person to sit next to Maxie.

“Okay...so....” He cleared his throat. “What am I here for?”

“First....” Maxie swallowed his jam soaked toast. “I’m going to yell at you.”

“Look if it’s about the babysitting-”

“YOU PUT MAX ON A CROBAT UNATTENDED FOR 2 HOURS.” That cut throat tone made his voice falter. But his words.... “DO YOU HAVE ANY INKLING ON HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS?!”

“I...did what?” Archie could feel the color drain from his face. He had been sure to ask a grunt to go with....at least...he was pretty sure he had.

“... ... ...” Maxie heaved a heavy sigh. Rubbing his temples as stress registered on his face. Archie could only glance down at Max who was happily enjoying some jam. Eventually looking up at him in confusion before smiling at him. “I understand you are taking on a large amount of work at the moment and you aren’t properly taking care of yourself. I’ve....been there. This does not mean however that this can happen again.”

“No sh-er...no duh.” He shifted a bit. Controlling his language as best he could. The redhead’s stare could shatter rocks if he glared at it hard enough. It was oddly...touching that Maxie was sympathizing with him. That and very very weird. Maybe the entire time they were rivals he had just not slept? Just worked and was super grumpy? That’d explain a lot.

“Ever.” Maxie raised the knife he had been using and pointed it at him. His tone dark and threatening. “Do you understand? I don’t care how tired you are. If you are going to put that boy on a pokemon by himself-”

“Yes! I get it! I screwed up...! Gez...ya don’t hafta rub it in....” He slunk into himself, resting his chin on Max’s head. “... ... what are ya gonna yell at me about next?”

“Oh...the other thing...well, that can wait until after breakfast.” Maxie took another bite of his omelette. “It’ll be quick. I just need to check a few things.”

“Check...?” Archie tried to question. Get it out of the way so he could just leave already. After his clothes were dry anyway. Suddenly he was reminded of the thing he had forgotten to ask about. “So...Max has his stuff’d pokedoll right? The spinda? He can’t sleep without it.”

“It was in the bag yes? Indeed he has it but he has had no trouble sleeping without it.” He quirked an eyebrow again. “He’s usually the first to fall asleep too.”

“That’s cuz your sweater is super soft!” Archie’s smaller self added. Grinning at Maxie playfully.

“... ... are you like the child whisperer or somethin’?” The level of things Maxie was capable of was starting to unnerve him. Archie was good with kids for the most part from experience. He had always liked them while his rival...didn’t seem the type.

“I merely researched child care and the like. That and...luck I suppose.” He glanced away, almost looking embarrassed. “I am not very fond of them.”

“... ... ..uh huh, right.” Archie rolled his eyes at him. Jabbing an accusing finger at the arm being held by his smaller self with his little hand holding onto Maxie’s hand. “Only someone who just hates kids would-”

“I never said I hate them.”

“Just admit it already. Ya love ‘em.” They stared each other down. The redhead’s irritation clear as day as Archie grinned. “Yer practically his dad now!”

“He IS my dad!” His little self snapped at him. Glowering at Archie like he just said the most insulting thing possible. “He’s Max’s too!”

“Oh? And what does that make me?”

“... ... an unwanted thing.” A familiar stinging phrase pricked the back of Archie’s brain. Wheeling it back much too far. He felt his grin drop into a thin line.

Part of him hated the look of recognition in Maxie’s eyes. The words he had tried to sound stern coming out harsh. “ARCHIE! Apologize this instant!”

“He’s never there for Max! He’s...!” Contrary to his words his little self looked more than apologetic, but still angry. Eyes burning fiercely at him. “He’s just gonna leave too!”

“... ... ...” His breath came out shaky. His knuckles had turned white clutching the table. He needed to calm down. Needed to....to......

“Papa just works alot. He always comes back. And he calls lots!” Max, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up. His voice was a little quiet, but happy. Archie never questioned why the kid needed, not wanted but NEEDED him to call at least once a day. He had chalked it up to Maxie’s parents most likely working long hours away. It did strike him as odd when the first time he actually called, not once but as many times as he could fit into his schedule to check up on him, Max had cried. Not a worried or sad one, a genuinely happy one. Only after that first week away and many calls later did he actually start to open up. “Um...even if his friends are kinda scary...they’re nice too....”

“... ... ...’m sorry....” It was almost inaudible but his little self looked up at him sincerely sorry. Quickly muttering to cover it up with. “... M-my dad too. He’s nice and....”

The kids spoke to each other back and forth, each moment Archie kept his eyes away from Maxie’s. Trying to keep his composure as the food disappeared and they stood up to collect Max’s things.

“... ... ...” His throat felt heavy. Body much more tired then it should be. He needed to rest. Just go comatose for a few days. Drinking wasn’t an option anymore, and with a kid to watch...

“You two go get Max’s toys. It’s in the yellow bin.” Maxie waved them off, eyeing them as they ran into another room. The silence between him and Archie was suffocating and awkward.

He heard a cough, his rival folded his arms and was looking around nervously. It really pissed him off.

“No I don’t wanna talk about it.” He grumbled, not even bothering to look at Maxie.

“I wasn’t going to ask.” A flat out lie. The nervous tapping of his foot made it obvious he had something to say. “I’m just confused on how to go about the next thing.”

 _Next?_ “Don’t stick yer nose where-” A sudden tug on his beard dragged him down to Maxie’s level. “The hell are you doing now?”

“I had wished there was a more elegant way to do this but...oh well.”

What was he going on about. What the hell was he doing...?! The nonplused face that got closer to his made Archie want to jump back. Way too close. Much much too close for his liking. The pull of his beard only kinda hurt. He assumed Maxie was trying to be gentle.

“Stop moving.” His back froze. He met the studying look with a only slightly panicked glare. Probing eyes were staring at....something. Very intensely. All he could do is wait. Wait and look at Maxie’s face to not seem like a nervous schoolgirl. Still pale as hell, a bit of freckles barely visible on his nose, wearing normal glasses against blue eyes. Archie narrowed his eyes. Blue? Had they always been blue? He was sure Maxie had green ones...

“... ... as I thought.” Maxie let go, a thoughtful look crossing his features. A small smile ghosting his lips. “You don’t have blue eyes.”

“Uh...no. I don’t.” Was that what this was about? “And ya don’t have green ones.”

“So you’ve finally caught on hm? No, I don’t have green eyes.” A tap of a long finger. “Archie does though. And Max has green eyes.”

“So...they have the other’s...” That fact hurt Archie’s head. “Why?”

Maxie shrugged but continued. “Maybe they’re a mix of the both of us?”

“Pfft. Ya right. Max might be more shy but he’s just like you!”

“Like so.”Maxie walked to the small table, picking up 4 papers. “Max brought this over to finish.”

Archie noticed one of them being the one he and Max had drawn together. A crudely drawn ship they had named and he had....

“You have no artistic talent.” It sounded more like a statement than a question but Archie held back a rebuttal. “Archie does,” Another two papers, both drawn quite well and proportionate. “..while Max is better with building things.” This time he presented a small tower made of glued paper. A little plain but otherwise very detailed. “Do you get it?”

_But what does it mean?!_

“I’m not sure what it means exactly. It’s just a possibility.” As if reading his mind Maxie answered before going quiet. Maybe expecting to hear his input.

“We’re doneeee!” The scamps came with their arms full and grinning ear to ear. Archie felt a smile tug at his mouth. Max was giggling and running around while trying to get his attention.

“Papa! Are we going home now?” He looked a bit sad.

“Yeah, we gotta get goin’.” For a second he looked at Maxie who had skillfully packed the bag up with room to spare.

“Here.”

“... ... ...” He slung it onto his arm and picked up Max. Resting him on his arm while the little redhead buried his face in Archie’s neck. He met the blue gaze that had left the set of smaller ones who refused to look at him. “Maybe ya should stop overthinking everything.”

“... ... perhaps.” A odd tone he hadn’t heard Maxie use in quite awhile. “Or perhaps it’s better to use overthinking as an excuse for a unwanted apology.”

It was cryptic in a ‘I pulled something off flawlessly’ tone that didn’t click until after the scamps said goodbye and he was already in the air.

 _... ...that bastard....!_ Maxie had dragged his attention away from what his younger part had brought up. Keeping him in a certain frame of mind on something pointless but slightly interesting until it passed.

Maxie wanted to apologize for his other’s bringing up the past. He had figured out it upset Archie greatly so he avoided the subject entirely. Going so far to make ARCHIE forget it entirely, even if for just a moment.

He didn’t know if he should punch Maxie or hug him. What he DID know was he was gonna keep any favors at a minimum from now on.


	5. Chapter 5

He had to break that promise not even a month later. So often he brought over Max to the Magma base every other week as Archie was sent from location to location as the vacation season picked up. Thus making him needed to look over waterway plans and safety procedures for the most cost effective but optimum producing results. The latest project, almost 3 months later, had him sailing back and forth between Sinnoh and Kanto for 2 weeks.

He was dead by the 8th day. They didn’t treat him any better over there either. So rude and overconfident that they knew best...

“Nggh...” Archie shifted a bit, pulling the blanket over his head at the thought of more work waiting for him.

“Hmm...? No with the current plans we should...” Maxie’s typing hadn’t stopped the past hour. Even as he spoke with other rock scientists over the phone about his probation work. Archie had finally bothered to check how much work THEY had taken on and well...it almost rivaled his. Team Magma was just use to this workload he assumed. “Yes. That would be best for the predicted result. I’ll email you the statistics in a moment....Of course...Thank you. A good evening to you as well.”

“I wouldn’t drink that.” Archie’s hand froze as felt Maxie’s eyes watching him. Choosing to ignore it he grabbed the coffee cup’s handle.

“It’s coffee and I need it.” He sat up halfway, back resting against the fluffed pillow that hadn’t been there when he passed out on the couch earlier. Nor the blanket cocooning around him. “You should be sleeping already.”

“I needed to finish some work. Get it done early while I have the time.”

Archie just shrugged and took a chug of the coffee. It was still hot but he immediately regretted it.“Urk..!” A wave of sweet overloaded his tongue and it took all his willpower to swallow it.

“I warned you not to.”

“What the hell Maxie?! How many cups of sugar did ya dump into this?!” It was like biting into raw sugar cane with maybe a hint of actual coffee. Any burning from the temperature couldn’t be felt at all. Just sugar. “Man that was...!”

“It’s only a few tablespoons. Stop being a baby.” The cup was dragged away by a thin hand. Maxie chugged it similarly but continued typing without so much as a reaction. Archie huffed before sinking back into the pillow.

“I want a cup too. Just not...drowned in sugar.”

“Get up and get it yourself then.” Maxie muttered as he finished up his reports. Archie pouted in response.

“C’monnnn...! I know yer gonna go get another cup!” He slinked further into the blanket. “Besides...yer grunts give me dirty looks whenever yer not around.”

“I assure you they still do it when I’m around Archie.”

“....”

“... ... ...” The redhead gave him a ‘really?’ face, to which he gave a sheepish grin back. Maxie rolled his eyes and sighed lowly. “Fine. How do you want it?”

 _These kids are making ya soft nerd..._ Holding in a laugh he casually answered ‘black.’

They had gotten more tolerant of each other with how often he had to leave Max. And with how often he passed out on the other’s couch...or bed. Or...anywhere he sat down...

A minute passed, then 5, and the next thing he knew he woke up to two children shaking his arm. Archie glanced at the clock; he had slept until morning.

“Papa...!” Max smiled happily at him. His hair was a mess and he looked like he dressed himself. His little double wasn’t much better. They had confused which clothes were whoes, but Maxie wasn’t one to forget, so why...?

“Dadddd! Wake up too!” Trying to move his legs, Archie finally felt the weight resting near his feet. He held in a laugh as he took in the sight. Maxie had passed out sitting up in front of the computer, 2 cups of coffee, most likely ice cold now, were in arms reach near them. His glasses rested on the edge of his nose as he snored softly.

His double walked over and shook the redhead’s shoulder lightly. Speaking quietly he pressed. “Wake upppp! C’mon dad!”

Each shake made Maxie’s body move a bit, but his rival remained out cold.

“?!” All that shifting made his body lean toward his little copy, but the kid wasn’t strong enough to hold him up. “Ugh! ...mph..!”

Archie considered helping, but stopped when Max got behind him and tried to help hold them up. Even with both childrens’ strength, Maxie was too heavy for them and they were at a stalemate.

“Crushing...! Heavyyyy!”

“We...can...!” Max tried to sound positive but with each moment they were losing a centimeter downward. Pleading green eyes looked up at him as he whimpered.“Papaaaa!!!”

A low laugh escaped his lips as Archie took one arm and lifted the comatose man off them. His child self panted heavily before giving him a dirty look. _Ungrateful brat..._

“... thank you.” Max stated happily, his little self muttering it lowly too with a sour expression.

“He’s heavier than he looks right?~” Not that he knew now. Almost 8 months had really gotten the guy back to a healthy weight. There still wasn’t any pudge but Archie could SWEAR the redhead was starting to get a rounded stomach.

“...mm....” Maxie made a humming sound against his hand. _Finally waking up..._ Unfortunately whatever dream the guy was having made him bury his face into his arm and-

 _...!_ The sensation sent a chill up Archie’s spine. A sigh caused his shoulder to tear his limb away. Making him tumble back onto the children who had not moved.

“AH!” Little him was crushed onto the floor with a thud. Max, who tried to aid him, followed suit and hit his head on the floor.

“Uwwahhh....!” Both children held their heads in pain. He tried to catch them but with his legs tangled and restricted by a blanket he was too slow. Maxie jerked up at the first sound of a cry.

“...hu-?” The usually stern gaze seemed panicked as he sat up and fixed his glasses. Noticing the children in distress he tried to move forward. “MP-! .....” Which made his knee make violent contact with the underside of the table. Archie just barely untangled himself in time to catch it. Strings of curses so fowl it’d make him blush flashed on his old rival’s face but by some miracle he held them in.

“... ... ...” He wanted to laugh. This level of complete and total failure at the mundane was hilarious to say the least. Instead he kept a small smile and ushered over the kids while Maxie regained his composure. Lightly holding them and assuring them they were okay as the redhead pulled his legs out from whatever mess he had managed to get them in. At that exact moment both kids ran to him.

“There’s the loyalty right there.” Archie sighed loudly. Max was looking straight at him as he and his little self pressed Maxie for attention who just rolled his eyes. First whining about the bumps to demanding affection as payment for their injuries.

“...you promised we’d take a bath together!” Max pipped up, looking between the both of them expectantly. Little him let out a loud ‘YEAH!’ and both kids gave his old rival’s sweater a tug, coaxing him to stand up.

“Yes yes no need to push...” Bespectacled blue eyes looked at him curiously. Had Archie really not noticed he had blue eyes? If this was before he surely would’ve given him hell about it! A missed opportunity....!

“Are you coming too?”

“Huh?” He blinked. Had...had he heard him right?

“Papa let’s go take a bath.” The little redhead gave him a long, hopeful gaze. A tiny voice in the back of his mind nagged him further. _Been too busy to play with ‘em...._

“... ... ... fine.”

Archie would have never guessed there was another bathroom in this base. A large, exotic looking set of rooms similar to the bath house ones in Johto and Kanto with a bit of Maxie flare.

He kept his focus downward on the black tiles slick with soap suds and water. Embarrassment tinted his ears as he refused to look at the man next to him scrubbing down the children who managed to get dirty somehow.

“Are you done cleaning yourself yet Archie?” Maxie called absentmindedly. Max, hair slicked back with shampoo, happily sat on one of the many stools near him waiting for his little self to be done with the thorough cleaning the older self inflicted on their hair.

“Y-yeah...I said yeah so-!” Trying to swat away the hand holding a towel as his face heated up more.

“You are being the largest baby right now.” Pitter patter of small feet edged closer to his back while he heard a long winded sigh. “You two wash his back. Not too roughly okay?”

“... ... ... this is normal for ya?” Two sets of hands with soft towels soaked in soap rubbed gently around the middle and lower parts of his back that they could reach.

“A habit I picked up from some time spent abroad.” The scent of strawberries filled the room again. “I have little qualms with the process and I find the belief that it’s a bonding experience to be-”

“Getting naked with yer friends. Totally bonding. Not...weird at all.”

“Oh my god....” Another long winded breath of air.

“Dad why don’t you get his shoulders?!” The kids struggled to reach higher but cleaned the areas they could get to eagerly.

“He’ll get mad at me.” Maxie responded blandly.

“But...but...! His back won’t get clean!”

“Touch me and I’ll- YER HANDS ARE FREEZING!” Long fingers dug into his back in fluid motions with a red towel. Archie tried to keep his body tense as Maxie went to work on his shoulders, neck and upper back.

“You need to relax.” The words came out more teasing and the snort that followed made the irony of the situation sink in.

“Uh-huh. Cuz this is _totally_ normal and-”

“For Archeus’s sake how many knots do you have?!”

He wanted to snap and get out of this with his pride in one piece. The mirror reflected the intense concentration on Maxie’s face and the sparkling eyes of the children watching them. Each painful spot from sleeping in different ill fitting beds and jet lag being worked out and forcing him to relax.

“Sh...shut up.” Any argument died in his throat as the hands moved to his neck.

“... ... I have half a mind to strangle you.” His tone didn’t match the expression. Not like he believed the old man would actually do it. “All the headaches you’ve caused me...”

“All talk ya...nerd.....mn...”

“No sleeping.”

“Ow oW **OW**. That’s my HAIR you as-”

“Language.” Another sharp tug was returned with a glare to an apathetic man. “Can one of you hand me the shampoo? You, tilt your head back. Archeus knows when you’ve last washed that mane of yours.”

“Yer the bossiest mother hen I swear to...what’s that look fer?”

“There’s...something in your hair.”

“Yer messin with me aren’t cha?” Archie didn’t get a response. Instead Maxie narrowed his eyes and he heard a low contact noise as the redhead flicked something before picking it up carefully. Lowering it to his eye level he held in a shriek.

“You- Are you serious?” Unfortunately he couldn’t stop his body from throwing itself backwards away from the large cockroach with _wings_ between the other’s fingers. He could let his pride recover later. That thing was HUGE!

The laughing didn’t register until he was safely behind Maxie who handed the monster to Max. He looked at it quizzically for a second before giving a ‘oh I see’ face.

“You can stop cowering now. It’s just a toy.” The larger red head was failing to hold in a fit of giggles. He tried to switch back to stern. “Max, I’ve told you about putting your bug friends on people when they sleep.”

“I just wanted papa to sleep good. I left my favorite bug for him.” That made Archie feel like a even bigger dick. He watched Maxie’s frown visibly soften while he tried to stand with still shaking legs.

“I slept great. Thanks Max.” He reached out to ruffle the beaming child’s hair but his little double pushed his hand away.

“Yer still dirty.” He made a sour face and handed Maxie the bottle of shampoo. “Let dad wash your hair!”

“I’m older than him.”

“5 months doesn’t-” The redhead rubbed his temples and muttered something under his breath. “You know what...? Max, let me borrow your friend-”

“NO. DO NOT. YOU- THAT’S NOT EVEN-!!!” Fake or no, it was made to look EXACTLY like those flying devils. An innocent smile spread on the larger redhead’s face and Archie’s blood boiled. Giving everything he had into a heated glare, he sat rigidly back on his stool. Scowling at the pleased expression Maxie wore that was quickly lessening in intensity at the feeling of skilled hands massaging his scalp.

Careful when his hair tangled but still firmly getting the pink soap down to the roots. What, had the guy learned it from his ‘friends’ abroad too? Vaguely he remembered seeing a degree signed from the Kalos region, which _didn’t_ have this kinda stuff. Broke college kids didn’t exactly have time to go to different regions between the rigorous studying and general lack of money.

“Explain to me how ya know all these things.” Archie had given up having a staredown with him. “Ya went to school in Kalos, but this stuff ain’t from there.”

“I did a 2 for 2 in Johto. So although on paper I graduated from a college in Kalos, I never left Johto those 4 years. As for my knowledge on these oddities...” He felt his hair being squeezed, the excess soap slipping into the drain and drenching the other’s hands. “I had two exchange students as dorm mates. A colorful man who wanted to be a professor, and a rather...idealistic person with whom I still speak to. They were very interested in foreign customs so....”

“Ya tried everything.”

“And then some.” He watched Maxie wash the shampoo from the children’s hair before doing his own. “A few things from Johto, a few from Kanto, and they informed me on some things in Kalos.”

Okay so that answered that.

“And you?”

“Huh?” The moveable shower head was presented to him while the redhead instructed the kids they could get in the bath now.

“I believe you went abroad as well. To...Sinnoh was it?”

“....Yeah.” Archie pressed what little water remained out of his curls before continuing. “It was cold. It snowed all the time. I hated it. So I left for Unova not even 1 year into it.”

“Odd...I would think you’d like the snow.”

The bath water was still steaming, soaking into his joints and making him release a contented huff. “Say that after finding out 9 months out of 12 ya can’t leave the house without a thick coat.”

“Unova...is the place with all the buildings right? The...sky...scrapers?” Max asked.

“Yep. The locals acted totally different from anything I ever saw, but it was a hundred times better than Sinnoh.”

“You’d’ve loved it in Johto then.” Maxie was still tying up his hair into a bun, putting bobby pin after bobby pin to keep it in place. “It snowed **once** in those 4 years I was there. Barely an inch and it dried up the next day.”

“Oh yeah?” This certainly was different. Not a year ago they wanted to kill each other and now, 8 months in, they were chatting about their college days. His mind purposely ignored the ‘in the nude and bathing together part’ for sanity sake. “They’re not exactly pleasant to speak to.”

“... ... ...” For a moment they held their breath as Maxie slipped into the bath too. Both worried the combined weights might cause the water to overflow. It quickly become obvious that wouldn’t happen. “You didn’t know? Their xenophobia is legendary.”

“But they have good schools.”

“But they do have good schools.” They shared exasperated looks. His rival flashing a rare smile, no sarcasm or snark that, albeit tired, was the definition of sincere. Archie forced down the sudden sensation of his stomach doing a flip.

“No putting those rocks in...okay?” His child self muttered softly. Eyeing the odd pile of dark stones in a tin not too far from the tub. “They make the bath too hot.”

“Archie I told you you don’t have to take a bath with me. You take enough baths for-”

“There’s no such thing as too many baths!!!” He cried, giving Maxie the most offended look possible. “And...and I get to spend more time with you!”

“You eat, sleep, and ‘work’ with me already. Is that really not enough?”

“No!”

“...are you going marry Maxie?” Max asked, eyeing Archie’s little self seriously. The other nodded firmly.

“... ... ...” Maxie didn’t even open his eyes, instead making a face that said this wasn’t the first time this conversation had come up.

“Ya can’t marry yer dad.”

“When I’m _older_ -”

“Even when yer an adult you cannot marry yer dad.” Archie rose an eyebrow at the child’s frustrated pout. “And even if ya **could** , he’d be too old for you by then.”

“Then...! Then...!”

“Really?” The little redhead looked up at him disheartened. Just what had these two been spouting when he was away?

“Really.” He affirmed.

“Then I’ll marry Max when I’m older!” Little him snapped. Max’s face flushed darkly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing to what the other proposed.

“Over my dead body.” Archie flashed him a grin, a light intimidation tactic that was met with a much smaller scowl.

“You’re only 7.” Maxie grumbled out. “And **you** -”

“Then I’m not letting you marry my dad!”

“Scamp, I’m a pirate. I’ll take whatever I want.” It was all in good jest as he had no interest of EVER drooling over the Magma leader. Archie capped it out at friends. But the reaction of pure destane he got was worth it.

“If yer a pirate I’mma king! Pirates are cool- yer just old!!!” Ohhh that little-

“I’m not marrying either of you.” His rival shut them both down. Scolding them harshly while he and Max played with some of the abundant water toys in the shape of pokemon.

Archie and his little self picked at one another more and more as the day progressed. Apparently the scamp truly believed he was gonna sweep Maxie off his feet at any moment. It would’ve been much funnier if Max didn’t also believe it and looked so betrayed.

He and them were playing a board game in Maxie’s office called Live, or something like that. Each spin moved them forward in their new ‘life’ and got them married, children, a job, and then dealing with all the pitfalls of budgeting for the future. Something he really didn’t expect from a children’s game.

“Papa...you’re not going to propose to da-er...Maxie, are you?” Large green eyes looked worriedly at him, reflecting his own frowning face back.

“Naw. It was just a joke to get lil Arch’s here feathers ruffled.” Archie shrugged it off. Laughing a bit at the annoyed mutterings of his little self that blamed him for getting scolded.

“Oh...that’s good.” A tiny pale hand went to spin the dial again. “Cause I wanted to marry Maxie too.”

Such an innocent voice didn’t really help the strangled cough he managed out. “Aha...ha...ya know I’ll never allow that right? The person who marries ya will have to get my blessing first- or we’ll fight to the death!”

“No one does that anymore...!” Arch, yeah that was a hell of a lot less confusing, grumbled at him. Folding his arms over the fresh and _matching_ clothes Maxie picked for him.

“Uhm...well....you love me right? So...” Max gave a sweet smile as the next words caused Archie to choke. “...you’ll lose for me, right?”

“... ... ...”

“... ... ...”

Both him and Arch sat there silently. That smile held no malice or anger, so...why did it make him kinda scared...?

“‘Sacrifices are to be made for the better of the future,’ right?” He beamed again. Reciting some phrase he very most likely heard from Team Magma’s lectures.

“Erm...weren’t they talking about chores being done earlier for more play time?”

“Same thing!”

“But it’s not though...!” Max was happily explaining why it WAS while Arch tried to explain he wasn’t connecting the right dots to get to that conclusion. Except with more whining and much simpler terms.

The shrieking of a fire alarm made Archie jolt up. He calmed the children quickly before rushing to the source of the now pungent smell of something burning.

“Oh for fuck’s sake...” Eventually finding where such a stink was coming from, he skidded to a halt to see Team Magma’s leader sulking near a trash can. A frying pan in his grasp while scraping off some black mass stuck to it. “Why does this keep happening...?”

He didn’t even struggle with the broom to jab the alarm into silence. Just seemed....highly frustrated at the heavy looking book propped up near the stove.

“Just...what are ya up to now?” Archie’s voice caused the other to jump in surprise. Quickly shutting the book before turning to face him. Normally white cheeks burning red.

“Cooking. What does it look like?” The other’s voice had a LOT more venom than was probably necessary and he knew it. His expression wincing at his own tone not a moment later.

“Uh...huh.” His eyes glanced at the trash with a dry smile, bits of whatever the redhead had failed at sticking to the bag as an ugly reminder. What in the world had he been attempting to make....?

“Shut up.”

“It’s eating through the trash bag.” Archie exclaimed in disbelief.

“I said shut up!” Maxie hissed. Balling up the apron he had been wearing and shoving it back into a drawer violently. Gripping under his breath about the pirate’s intelligence and ‘stupid tempering times.’

While the other wasn’t looking he took a peek at the cover of the book, instantly feeling an eyebrow twitch as he re-read it just in case he had gotten it wrong.

“‘Cooking: Bare Basics’....” It came out like a whisper but Maxie seemed to hear him regardless.

“I swear to Archeus Archie if you say anything I’ll-”

“Did you just torch water?” Oh he wanted to crack up so badly. Mock the man for screwing up that hard, but the complete disbelief was winning over spite.

“It was _soup_!”

“Dude this is **tar** now. How in the...” Shaking his head he tried to figure out how this could have happened. “Just how.”

Maxie didn’t answer him. Instead sinking into one of the many chairs with a defeated look on his face. Aka, back to sulking.

“I’m trying.” It was almost pathetic how that came out. The normally limitlessly confident ex eco-terrorist stumped by a life skill? Just sad really. Archie felt that pity grow as he watched the man berate himself. “Complex piping systems fine, schematics on robotics sure, but I can’t operate a damn oven...?!”

 _I can’t believe I’m doing this..._ Taking a deep breath, he approached the depressed redhead slowly. “Look...let’s try again. I’ll help this time.”

“No.” The reply was immediate. Cold and pointed. Not something unexpected given the guy’s independent streak. Archie would not be deterred however.

“Come on. Practice makes perfect right?” He gave a laugh before quickly adding. “The kids can help too. It’ll be fun.”

“This was already the 5th time _today_.” Maxie grew quiet. Side eyeing him for a long few minutes until he finally caved.

“Fine.”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Papa-” Max began, eyeing the clock wrily. On both a rare weekend he had off, and that Archie wasn’t completely exhausted they both were relaxing and watching some documentary the little one had chosen. It was a little past his usual bedtime, but for tonight he could stay up a tiny bit later.

“Let’s finish the movie before gettin ta bed, eh Max?” Archie let his speech slip a bit thicker, close to falling asleep right there. Max, who was sitting comfortably in his lap, nodded with an excited smile. Turning his full attention back to the movie which was finishing up with ghost pokemon, something the Aqua leader was surprised he wasn’t afraid of, and going to dark types and their habitats.

“Papa, is Maxie my mom?” If he had been drinking anything, Archie would have choked on it. Max didn’t move his eyes from the TV, but the curious expression felt more directed at him then what was happening on screen.

“Er...kinda...? He’s a guy, so more like...”

“Because families are supposed to be a mom and a dad right?” It wasn’t the birds and the bees talk but damn it was a close second. “Maxie watches me when you’re at work, and plays with me. Archie isn’t my brother right? So what does that make...?”

“If I had to guess...I’d say yer second dad. Some people have that. Two dads. Or moms. Or even just one of them.” Would that make him and Maxie married? Ugh this stuff complicated their already complicated situation. “Some don’t have either.”

“So...Archie...is like my brother?”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

“But you can’t marry your brother....or your dad.” _Or yourself._

Max spoke like he was getting it. Even if he was none too pleased with the information he accepted it.

“That’s right.”

“And...you both aren’t married yet.”

“Y-yet?” Max was looking up at him with an annoyed frown. “There are steps ya hafta take before marriage Max. You can’t just-”

“What steps?” Fully turned around now, those green eyes felt more like Maxie’s. Staring straight at him, unwavering until he got the answers he seeked.

“First,” Archie began, feeling a bit lost for words all of a sudden “, you haf-have to like them.”

“That’s-”

“Like, like-like. You gotta think of them in a special way. Just thinking they’re nice or cool isn’t enough.” Not completely true sure but this was a child he was talking to. He’d explain better when Max hit 10. “Then, ya need them to like you too. So you both can date.”

“Date...? What happens during that?” The word seemed to ring some bells for him, but for the actual act...

“Ya both get to know each other better. Fall in love, protect and care for the other. Only then can ya, **should** ya get married.”

“That...sounds like it’d take a long time. Like more than a month.”

“Sometimes all it takes is a month. Most times it takes years.” That made Max’s eyes grow wide. He grew quiet and looked down. “So I can’t just up and marry-”

“But...! I want Archie to go to the same school as me and then Maxie would come pick us up at the same time and we could play and...!”

“School?” Oh. Right. First grade was starting in 2 months so everyone had been looking into schools. Archie vaguely remembered the stack of school brochures Maxie had stacked on his desk. There weren’t many schools near the Magma base, and even less _good_ schools (only the best would be pursued if the redhead had anything to say about it) towns away. Where WOULD Arch go to school? No place would be reasonably reachable AND not a complete shithole so...so...

“Then...when you got home...we could all eat together....” The little scamp rubbed his eyes tiredly. “You...you do like Maxie, right?”

“Erm...”

“You’ve been helping him cook and bake and stuff. You guys sleep together-”

“I-I get it I get it. And we don’t-we’re not-” His face burned furiously. Max pouted at his words.

“You snuggle with him lots. And and! You sleep in his bed! You tell him jokes and try to make him laugh so-”

“Ohoho do tell me more.”

“Shelly!” Archie stood up, holding Max in one arm while he tried to glare at his smirking admin and friend. “Yer supposed to be sleeping.”

“I just came to get a glass of water. Although...now I wanna hear the rest of this.” Her hair was down and she was in her pajamas but that self indulgent grin was really...!

“It’s not what it-” When he was coming to pick Max up after such long hours and poor sleep, he was in a state that there was no way to tell if the couch or bed was already occupied. Archie was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to tell his elbow from his foot when he was that tired.

“Uh huh. Sure Arch. Good to see ya gettin along with Maxie-boy so well.” She laughed again. Pausing for a moment, she pointed at the quickly falling asleep child. “So...when ya gonna take ‘em out to dinner for all that babysittin?”

“Dinner-? I...I don’t know.” Really dinner, or even a dozen dinners didn’t sound like enough to pay him back. “Maybe somethin less...typical?”

“How about getting his kid into Lilycove’s school? It’s one of the best.”

“That’s quite a bit of a distance though.” Archie sighed. Shelly walked behind him as he tucked Max into bed. “I mean yeah there are a lot of places to move in over here but...”

“Just...see if he’ll bite. Maybe throw in a few meals or fancy dinner to ‘talk’ it over.”

“Shell I already said we’re not-!”

“Of course Archie. Why would _that_ happen??” Her tone was teasing as they walked back into the hall. “Hell, why not get him a place over here too? Show him just how thankful ya-”

He brushed past her in a hurry, ignoring her hushed giggles and his own flushed cheeks. That had crossed his mind with how well off their group was now. The house thing. Nothing else.

_Would he even take it? No. He’d never in a million years take something like that. He barely accepts my help with cooking as it is..._

“Ugh why does everythin have to be so freakin complicated?!”

***

“Come on Maxie yer doin fin-” His compliment was shut down at the look of pure distan his old rival sent his way. The plain omelette this time was somewhat edible and it looked like actual food. A huge improvement. “Hey, it was the guy’s fault for eating an omelette when he’s allergic to eggs-”

“He’s in the hospital Archie.”

“The EMTs said it was the taste that stopped his airways from closing completely, so in a way-”

“Yes because hearing ‘your food was so terrible his body wanted to reject it more than the allergic reaction’ makes it _so_ much better.” Maxie snapped. Completely frustrated at the garbage full of his failures.

“You can bake though.” Archie added. Taking another bite of his 3rd cupcake from the batch the other had whipped up in anger. They ‘didn’t count’ apparently.

“I’m trying to make food, not-!” He just motioned to the colorful dozen with homemade icing and everything. Sitting himself near the kids who were happily eating cupcakes and getting said icing on their fingers.

“I dunno man they’re pretty good...” Sweets were okay every once in awhile but whenever he ended up at Maxie’s place he always ended up eating _something_ sweet. Cookies, cakes, ice cream...and Archie really didn’t consider himself much of a sugar lover! The redhead was a bad influence. “Come on, have one.”

“I don’t want any.” Maxie turn down a cupcake? He must really be bothered. Letting out a heavy sigh, he grabbed some wet wipes. “You’re getting it everywhere you two. Hold still.”

As quietly as possible, Archie picked up a cupcake and snuck over next to him before pressing it in front of the occupied man’s mouth.

“Archie-”

“Just take a bite. So I know ya didn’t poison it.” He had made sure it was one of the double chocolate ones. Waiting patiently as the other glared at him then the cupcake and then back at him.

“I hope I bite your finger...” Except as soon as he took a bite it was obvious he was trying his best to avoid accidentally  doing that. So Archie was _kinda_ feeding him something. He was just...helping, yeah.

Another bite made Maxie’s blush ever so slightly. Giving him a strange look after finishing up cleaning the scamps’ hands and faces.

“I can eat by myself you know.”

“I’m just _helping_ Maxie, gez.” Yeah what he had been doing was a little embarrassing but..! But....! ....he forgot his excuse. Helping and teasing his friend? It was safe to call him his friend right?

“... weirdo.” Maxie murmured, taking the rest of the cupcake and finishing it off quietly.

“Ha-ha. Oh but hey, have ya figured out the schoolin situation yet?” Archie’s smile dropped a bit at the stressed expression spreading on the other’s face. It was more troubled than the cooking issue.

“No, unfortunately.” The thin lines of forming wrinkles were starting to appear again. Someone Maxie’s age shouldn’t have so many of them. “There are few schools in the area as it is, and when later on if Archie were to transfer to a middle school...”

“He’d...have to go to another town.”

“Precisely. I’d rather not have him moving from one city to the next just to graduate.” After the child hit 10, it was really their and their parent’s choice whether to continue schooling or go straight into pokemon training. Continuing schooling from primary to middle to highschool and eventually college helped get high paying and hard to get jobs.

“How about moving to a different city?”

“Our finances- _my_ finances, can’t really cover the costs for living in a large city home. Even an apartment. School tuition, bills and whatnot are...expensive.” Ironically apartments ended up costing people more than just outright buying a house in the city. Lilycove being equally guilty of doing this. Maxie’s shoulders tensed in thought. “I suppose in theory, with Archie in school I could take on more work and that could cover the-”

“No.” Archie hadn’t meant to come out so...forced, but the reminder that the man had nearly worked himself to death before just because he deemed it necessary...really scared him. He didn’t want to ever see him not sleeping for days on end then collapsing as a normal ‘sleep’ schedule again. “What I meant was, why not think about moving over my way? Max really wants to go to school with lil Arch here and it’d save us both a lot of time traveling...”

“... I’ve already looked into it and what you’re asking is impossible.”

_Well...it’s now or never..._

“I...have a place ya can use if ya want. Business has been good an all with us bein so busy so-”

“No.”

“Hey I didn’t even-!”

“You’re offering me a home and knowing you you won’t ask me to pay for anything, and I can’t accept that.” Damn. That nerd figures things out too fast.

“It’s not like I’d just let you leech off me for free!” Actually that was the plan but okay Plan B. “I was gonna ask ya, as like payment, you pick up and watch Max after school.”

“You don’t need to bend over backwards to pay me back. I’ll figure out...something. I always do.” Contrary to his words, the worry only seemed to tense Maxie’s body further.

“I’m not! Max wants his best bud with him at school and I-” He shut his mouth. Ignoring the sudden pair of eyes awaiting his next words with cautious curiosity. “Er..w-why I need someone trustworthy to take care of Max! You’d still have plenty of time to do yer work. Probably a lotta extra time really, and yer job is to just add one more kid to yer original plan.”

He gave a loud laugh, Archie trying to keep any blood from rushing to his face as Maxie’s eyes studied him closely. The children growing excited at the idea of them attending the same primary school.

“I wanna go with Max!” Arch declared, Max adding a energetic ‘yeah!’ after. Both giggling happily as they traded ideas of what it would be like.

“We’d be far from everyone here at the base.” The redhead mentioned. Arch got quiet but shrugged his shoulders.

“You said we had to move either way so...”

He and Maxie sat there in silence for a few minutes. The other staring at nothing as he glanced one last time at the stack of school brochures before grumbling.

“... ... why do I feel like I didn’t have much of a choice to begin with...?” Maxie glared at him. It felt half in jest, and the other from force of habit. Nothing actually there.

“Cause ya didn’t!” Archie grinned. “I got the place for ya regardless if you were gonna say yes.”

“I knew it...” His friend looked so tired, but with a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders. He wouldn’t have to worry about switching schools and cities. Everything was already there. “I can’t believe you...I swear this is some type of blackmail.”

“Just think of it as payment for yer babysitting so far, and for future care.”

“...you’re still an idiot.”

“Hahaha. Yes, Maxie, yer welcome.”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

“Wowww! This place is hugeee!” Little Archie yelled happily. Indeed the place was bigger than he had expected. Thankfully not too big, just a two story house out of the way from the city in a corner. _Dammit Archie. I told him not to-_

“Dad, dad can we go in? Can we can we?” Still, the excitement the child exhibited was contagious. Maxie felt himself chuckle and smile at the wide eyed boy tugging him through the front door, running through the furnished front room in wonder as he locked the door behind them. The air conditioner was running silently, and he had to admit it was a nice change from the sweltering natural warmth from the caves he was used to.

“Do you want to bring your things up to your room?” Archie nodded eagerly, taking one of the bags on his own carefully up the flight of stairs. Maxie handled the other two, hoisting them until they got to the top step of new tile wood and a long hallway.

“Uhm...my room is....???”

“Try the one on the right.”

“This one has one bed and a big fish tank.” He called, closing the door when Maxie explained that wasn’t the right one. Rolling his eyes a bit at the fact Archie had left a room for himself with a fish tank of all things if he was only a short walk away.

“It should be the next one then.” Sure enough, the other room had two twin sized beds with matching closets and a large toy trunk in the shape of a eevee. A bookshelf was in the corner near a small desk and 4 tiny chairs, with the last piece being the huge carpet in the middle.

“When Max gets here we need to choose beds.” Little Archie was so serious it made him laugh.

“You sure?”

“It’s not fair otherwise!” Fair point. Dropping the bags on one bed, he set to work on hanging up all the clothes; some little Archie’s, some Max’s. Handing the waiting child toys to be put away and books to be shelved.

“We should leave some for later.”

“So Max doesn’t feel rushed?” The little one nodded and Maxie ruffled his hair. _Such a caring child._

“Dad you get your stuff and I’ll inspect your room!!”

“Yes yes.” Really, the aqua leader was going to get an earful the next time they were alone. Getting a house for them was already over the top. Not to mention the utilities, school and even furniture were all paid for in advance...! Did he not think Maxie capable of handling things?!

If anyone in his family found out they’d- no. He didn’t need to be rich or famous to be happy with life. Right now he was content (if also shamefully embarrassed at the ‘gifts’) with what he had now. BEFORE the whole Lilycove thing. Although...

 _It’ll take awhile to pay Archie back..._ Hopefully the other didn’t decide to hold this over his head like a never ending favor dispenser until he grew bored. Not that he WOULD, that’d be extremely out of character for the man who had finally warmed up to Maxie (how odd that the friendly pirate would have a harder time building a friendship than him). Even so...it was still bugging the back of his mind like a heavy weight.

“Dad?”

Instantly his thoughts were brought back to reality. It felt almost natural for him to be called that. Although he still didn’t think he was the best role model, let alone a parental figure, for anyone. Least of all a small child.

“Yes Archie?”

“I’m stealin yer beddd!” Oh great now he’s starting to talk like the pirate too.

“You do that and I’ll tell him you think he’s cool.” The sudden quiet got cut by a shrill yell.

“Yo-you **promised** you wouldn’t say anything! _Pro- **mised**_!!!!” Maxie chuckled to himself as the shouting continued. Dragging his bags up the stairs with a low thud after every few steps. It was less because they were heavy and more that his height was making the balancing...difficult. “And, and...!”

“I’m joking.”

“You don’t joke about that! Never ever!!” The bed was much larger than he anticipated and technically _needed_. Little Archie was stretched out fully in the middle and he, Max, AND Archie could all lay on it with him with more than enough personal space per person.

 _Why do I get the feeling he intended for that purpose...?_ Did that man intend to visit more...? More than-

“Dad?”

“My apologies. You want to help me put these things away?” Naturally tiny hands quickly came to his aid. Taking folded shirts and pants to the dresser while Maxie took out and folded them from his luggage.

“When are they gonna get here?”

“Hm...about an hour or two.” Glancing at his watch he continued. “After this, how about we make a cake.”

“Like a welcome party!” Archie stated happily. “What kind is it gonna be? Chocolate?”

“Let’s get this done and we’ll see what ingredients we have.”

“Okay!~”

\-----

It actually took _3_ hours for Archie and Max to arrive with his ex rival apologizing profusely and a cheery (but slightly terrified) tiny redhead riding on his shoulders. By that time Maxie had had time to cool the cake before frosting it making it _much_ more moist for later.

“The meeting just kept _going_ and we didn’t even get a lunch break...I’m starvin.” He offered to order something but Archie wasn’t having it. “I was late so I’ll cook.”

“....there’s a restaurant-”

“I said I’ll cook. Just...let me? I swear I won’t ruin yer new kitchen.”

“That’s not what I-”

“Besides! I wanna. The ingredients should be...” Oh. He planned this. And as always Maxie found himself unable to vocalize his complaints should the subject turn sour around the kids.

“First the house, then the school and now...this. Are you trying to impress someone?” He could see little Archie flinch and give him a pleading look. A ‘please don’t tell him I think he’s cool’ look.

“That depends; is it working?” Archie had pulled out some meat and vegetables from the fridge. Eyeing the cake with sparkling eyes and an eager stare. “...is that fer desert?”

“That was the intention when I made it, yes.” He really MUST be starving if the first thing he jumped on was the cake. Instead of...anything really. There was fruit in there.

“Ya didn’t answer me.”

“I wonder...” The pout Maxie received almost made him laugh. _Almost_. “Yes Archie, your actions are greatly appreciated.”

“But I didn’t even get a ‘welcome home.’”

“You don’t live here.” Considering the very pleading looks he was getting since the cake was brought up, he went about cutting it into small slices so everyone could have a piece while not ruining their appetite.

“You are the worst wife.” Archie’s hands were completely coated in meat as he worked in some particularly cut vegetables. Making his piece be put aside until he was able.

Maxie rolled his eyes at the comment. “Why would I marry you then? You don’t have a life insurance policy.”

“You’d only marry to MURDER them for money?!”

“You’d HAVE to eat my cooking and that would kill you eventually if not immediately.” He took a bit of his cake. Yep. Definately better this time with hand whipped cream. “If I’m to be a widow then at least have something to make the grieving less painful.”

“Yer awful. Just AWFUL.” This was all playful exaggeration. Joking if you will. Archie gave a mock offended look as he continued his...whatever he was doing to the meat. “‘m cookin cause I’m starving to death. Yer standin there eating cake with the kids and talkin about murdering me for insurance money. And I can’t even have my share cause I have meat hands because-”

“Oh stop whining.”

“I’m so hungryyyyy.”

“I want a divorce.” The children had been watching the banter with amusement (rather little Archie with amusement and Max with curiosity) and had finished their pieces with no real mess. An improvement. “Archie go help Max put his stuff away. I’ll call when dinner’s ready.”

“Okay!” After making sure the little thumps going up the stairs had not resulted in any falls Maxie picked up the dishes and walked over to the sink.

“Maxieeeee.”

“....” Ignore the whining or they’ll keep doing it. Apparently regardless of age; Archie was still Archie. “!?”

The feeling of something soft rubbing against his shoulder nearly made him drop the plate he was washing. “Did you just headbutt me?”

“I can’t exactly do much else.” Most of the beef was done, but the servings would not be enough for all four. Leaving Archie to still be unable to eat his snack. “And it was more of a nuzzle considering!”

“So you were rubbing against me like a Skitty because you wanted my attention.”

“Yes. W-wait no-! Dammit Maxie...” The last part was quietly whispered so he didn’t bother to remind him of the swearing.

All the dishes were clean and drying. The children were upstairs most likely playing and the pirate was the one cooking dinner. At this rate the cake was going to dry up too.

_....very well. I’ll ‘help.’_

“Say ‘ah.’” Now the expression of startled fear and embarrassment on the other’s face was funny. He even tried to play it off with a laugh while his ears turned pink. Maxie just held the bite sized piece on the fork stoically. “Well?”

“That’s um...”  
“If you don’t I’m going to eat it.”

“Yer a huge as-...jerk.” Archie opened his mouth just enough to take the forkful before turning away from Maxie shyly. “...strawberry?”

“A shortcake yes.”

“It’s really good!” Of course the next bite was much less hesitant as was the following ones. HE was a bit more focused on the large strawberry the other had yet to bite into. Stealing would be a bad habit to start forming. Even if it was as trivial as the topping to a snack. “I still don’t get how ya can make such good baked stuff but...it really doesn’t make sense.”

“...I’m not really sure as well.”

“A bit more practice and you’ll-” A large glob of what he hoped was jelly (and not meat) was on Archie’s cheek so instinctually Maxie went about grabbing a napkin and wiping it off. And again the larger man froze and fretted in his own way. “I am a grown man!”

“It was going to get into your beard.”

“Th-then just SAY so and...” He rose his filthy and _**contaminated**_ arms up toward him.

“You attempt to touch me with those hands and this fork will make you a **real** pirate.” It was gross. Disgusting. Bloody, raw meat was...it made him shudder at the very idea.

“You’re very violent, ya know that?”

“And _you’re_ very-” When had Archie finished washing his hands? When had he gotten so close to steal the fork and plate away? His mouth had been open in retort so the last mouthful of strawberry popped in with ease.

“Was it good?” For a moment Maxie stood frozen while Archie’s grin only grew wider at his surprise. “I saw ya eyeing it. You coulda just asked-”

“I den’t-!” Chewing. Right, chew it first before speaking.

“You know, I remember you being a pretty good liar back in the day Maxie-max. Now though?” The sweetness of the fruit did nothing to lessen the scowl in response to that nickname. “You had the most concentrated look on yer face. Plain as day too. ‘was kinda cute actually.”

“I am not _cute_.” A man his age? Such a word did not belong in the same category when describing him.

“See? Now yer pouting. _**Adorable**_.”

“I’m going to punch you in the mouth.” Words like that were just used to embarrass him. Playful jabs sprinkled in light flirting. KNOWING that didn’t make it less irritating as Maxie’s cheeks felt hot and he noticed the distance slowly shrinking between them.

“Do it then.” Archie wasn’t smiling when he murmured that. His attention was directed squarely on Maxie’s face. He looked nervous, and his pupils a bit dilated. The hand ghosting over his arm was light as a feather but the warmth emitted made Maxie’s gaze waver timidly.

“I...I will.” Not one part of him moved as the words left him. They held no malice or harmful intent however. They both knew this.

Archie didn’t say anything back. Their noses were close to brushing and he swore for a second he heard the other whisper his name in some last ditch effort of asking if what was going to happen next would be-

“Papa, dad, is the food ready yet?”

Just as he was the first to initiate this dance Archie fled just as quick. Maxie held in a heavy sigh as he watched him forcibly laugh out a ‘5 more minutes’ and act as if what (almost) happened had not occurred.

Perhaps he was just looking too much into it. Or maybe the pirate was not ready to progress? If so he wouldn’t push.

Cleaning the last plate Maxie went to fetch the children. Noting halfway up the stairs of the vague feeling of being watched fading the higher he went.

\-----

That feeling was nothing compared to walking both children to school. The school itself was, of course, top class and very prestigious. Many families registered as early as spring a year _prior_ in order to have a sure fire spot for their child. Other’s just bought the seats by merely flashing their money or name sake around.

Naturally he felt very out of place amongst the very upper class parents dropping off their young ones in namebrand clothing, or making the nanny do it as the time was barely past 8 am.

Occasionally there was a middle and even a few lower class parents too, but they looked guarded. As if ready to jump at the first insult any privileged asshole would sneer at them. Adding to the fact he was not native to the area the looks he received, from both sides alike, had him on edge.

Maxie dressed modestly; hair tied back and wire glasses on with his usual sweater and pants. _Sticking out like a sore thumb..._ It felt like a family reunion with neither one willing to try their luck at guessing which side he belonged to.

He tried to keep his attention on the two children clinging to him. Their little sailor uniforms and hats looked undeniably cute (even amongst all the fuss they gave him putting them on). Max was in his arms and had been weeping softly since they left the house. Little Archie had been walking stiffly and refused to let go of his hand as they neared the school. _Nerves probably._

A rather cheery woman was herding the sea of children towards the building while calling out happily. “If you’ve not checked in, please do so before your child can go to class. Safety precautions say-”

She rambled off some rules as Maxie set the two in front of him. Gently he wiped Max’s face and pretended not to notice the moist eyes of the little pirate. “Are you ready to go inside?”

“....” His smaller self shook his head viciously as he whimpered out a ‘no.’ Archie tried to not follow suite as he stated a stern but weak. “I am...!”

“What are you worried about?”

“Wh-what if the teachers are mean...? And..and you won’t be here...!”

“This place is supposed to be very nice, and you two are in the same class so you won’t be alone. There are lots of kids who you’ll be able to play with too.” Comforting them never felt awkward anymore. They were just children so why so many people shot him dirty looks as he gave both a peck on the forehead baffled him. “And, if they **are** mean, I’ll have a little chat with them personally.”

This seemed enough to allow him to take their hands and walk through the front door. A reception woman sat tapping her pen against the tabletop and didn’t bother to look up as she asked her rehearsed questions. “Name?”

“Matsubusa.” When she didn’t say anything he continued. “And Aogiri.”

“Where is Mister Aogiri? Why is he not currently present?”

“He’s at work. Orientiation and training.” She scribbled something on the clipboard as a french manicure nail clicked against the board. Archie had started at a new company that promised more stable hours and less travel which of course he jumped on (not caring he had a week of 12 hour shifts to start everything). Meaning Maxie was on his own for the most part.

“Ah, you’re on the dual guardian’s list. Please hold on a moment while I get more packets.” With that she disappeared into the back without so much as a glance. Really these people weren’t being much better than the teachers at his old school...

“You really should get your daughter to stop crying.” A snooty voice suddenly grated his ears. Turning, he was met with what could only be considered as the literal definition of ‘gold digging trophy wife.’ She frowned at him before looking the children up and down and pointing at little Archie. “What an interesting child.”

“Excuse you?” She wasn’t pointing out the little one’s attempt at not crying. No she was...pointing at his skin.

“Mixed babies are **very** cute. Who's the mother- no, _I’m sorry_ , surrogate or adoption? I suppose it doesn’t matter though. They’re real cuties.” Her tone reminded him of his aunt. _Fake and underlyingly insulting_. “Did you come here after your boyfriend was hired? There aren’t many same sex couples about in Lilycove after all.”

“You’d be surprised at the diversity of a large _resort town_. And no, he’s a native.” He clicked his tongue at her smirk. “As well, we aren’t intimately-”

“Oh there's no need to be ashamed of it! Still, it must be rough getting used to things in Hoenn while the other is...working so much. I can only imagine how the children must feel with their father not _there_.”

 _She did **not**...!_ Maxie had held his tongue out of self restraint but this woman did not know when to stop TALKING.

“First of all, **Max** is boy. What Archie’s ethnicity is is none of your concern. Nor is it any of your business how they were conceived. A good portion of the city does, shocker, have a large concentration of differing sexualities.” His blood was boiling at this point. His mind was clear and voice even regardless of that fact. “What my ‘boyfriend’ is, or does, is not about to be judged by some spoiled brat who had a kid out of wedlock for money. Nice gucci bag by the way, although it seems you’ve forgotten your child in the process of holding it. Oh, _wait_ , nevermind. I see her now, with the _**nanny**_.”

Her expression dropped to rage at the last comment. She made an undignified shriek of anger as she turned on her (very high) heels and stormed out.

“Papa...?”

“....” Maybe they should’ve just gone to Mauville...they were at least decent people once you got past the grumpiness. Maxie shook his head and rubbed their hands with his thumb in small circles as they looked up at him worriedly. “It’s nothing. She was just...being rude.”

“You handled her rather well if I may say so.” How long the receptionist had been there he couldn’t be sure. She actually bothered to look at him now. Grinning with a positively pleased expression she handed him the thick stack of papers in her arms. “You just shut down Whitney Moore of the Moore enterprises.”

“I...should I know of her?”

“Only if you like people who marry into money and act like they’ve always been at the top. Her husband, the next to inherit the business, is the real problem you’ll be facing now. But, more importantly than that, here are the papers you need to fill out as well as a few possible positions you could fill if you’re interested. PTA and whatnot.”

“Erm...right. I’ll look these over then.”

“They can head to class now. Will you be picking them up?” She scribbled something else on the board with his nod before directing the two to class. Leaving him standing in a silent entrance awkwardly shifting his shoulder to glance at the mountain of things needing his signature. THIS was something he surely did **_not_** miss.

The walk back home was very quiet. Many would call it serene. Ideal. Back then he’d kill for such lack of noise and chaos.

All that it did was make the feeling of displacement grow when he walked through the door of the house. _His_ house that was empty and much too big for just him.

Team Magma was watching his pokemon as they were much too dangerous (an active volcano was certainly a safety hazard around curious hands) to leave around small children. Occasionally he’d receive a text from his admins (and a few grunts) expressing already missing him along side the usual plans for work.

All his clothing had already been sorted and personal items put where he wanted. Everything was still clean and there wasn’t anything that needed his attention.

It left him at a loss.

 _I suppose...I’ll practice cooking._ Flipping through the channels on his cellphone he finally found the cooking show he preferred to use as reference. A program for college students just leaving the nest that needed to figure out the ‘wonders’ of self sufficiency.

[...the dish today is fried rice. First bring out your ingredients...]

Maxie would copy as the chief instructed; pausing every few minutes to make sure he had done the movements correctly. He had gotten to the point where he could afford to drift away in thought as he worked. Turning the normally stressful attempts into (only slightly stressful) relaxing time.

Lilycove wasn’t a place for someone like him but he’d stay for Max and Archie’s futures. A good primary school would pave the way for a good secondary school and possibly great college if either decided to pursue it. The ability to choose what they wanted was his motivator.

“...hm. It’s decent.” Finally his skill had started to increase with actual edible food that tasted fine. All those hours practicing both with Archie and his grunts as well as alone paid off. “Only a little burnt too...”

He’d wait to tell anyone, or, dare he say, make them a meal to eat until the end product became constant. _And not be so overcooked._

“...how about...yes this looks good. Ah...but this one does too....” This situation was less than ideal. Thus Maxie would relieve the stress by baking.

Alot.

“If I chill the batter it should...I could finish tomorrow...” Any work he had been sent had been dealt with, and the stack of papers... “What even IS a PTA?”

There was no such thing in his schooling program and the term had popped up quite a bit during his research. Reading into it only confused him further. Why did the teachers and parents need to ban together? What purpose did it serve? This area was rich in, well, rich people. How would it be lacking in extracurricular activities or funding?

“...Odd.” He pushed that paper away. It was certainly not getting signed anytime soon.

\------

After completing the multitude of papers, he decided to walk around the town to get a basic understanding of where everything was.

The market was loud and busy but held a wide variety of produce. As well as restaurants selling foods from Kanto to Kalos. One particular shop sold fresh premade meals which he bought for dinner. He also spoke with the owners, an old elderly couple who moved from Unova and ended up with a bag of treats when he mentioned his children were just starting kindergarten. They refused to hear his attempt to pay, stating he could introduce them to their grandchild as payment (one of their daughter’s recently had a second child so they were hoping the eldest grandchild could have some company).

Maxie thanked them again as he left. Promising to bring them at a later date once their daughter came to visit.

The park was tactfully put only a block away from the grade school (one he knew they’d all be accustomed to once the kids caught wind). And the Aqua base was at the far north of the beach-

 _....should I bring up what happened yesterday?_ Or just point blank ask? Clearly there was SOMETHING between him and Archie. Whether it be just urges from being in constant contact or something more it needed to be cleared. The pirate practically avoided him like the plague after dinner had finished.

“......” And part of him, along with the part that didn’t want to admit anything, didn’t like being ignored. If he wanted nothing then so be it. Maxie could- would, be content as friends.

A good hour was spent thinking on this subject. When he had wandered back to the main road he couldn’t recall. Just as well really, class would be over in a few minutes.

“He-llo! Are you one of the parents?” A man this time was there to greet him.

“Er, yes. I am.” He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about the man felt off. Maybe not _off_ but-

“I’m the school’s science and geology teacher Mr. Frine. Nice to meet you Mr...?”

“Matsubusa.”

His face lit up with that. The man could be no older than Maxie was yet his bleached hair and tousled appearance didn’t look all that professional. Their handshake lingered a tad longer than he felt was comfortable. Like it was obvious the teacher laughed playfully.

“Sorry sorry! Been a long time since I’ve actually been able to say hi without someone threatening a lawsuit for being near them.” He was....kind of attractive...? Warm brown eyes stayed fixated on Maxie as he spoke. “So you’re Max and Arch’s father huh? They’re very bright for their age. Archibald is bit on the shy side but he really knows his stuff.”

“Archie...? Shy?” He had never been so whenever they met other people, or gone out anywhere. “Was Max with him?”

“Yeah, I sorta learned the hard way to just leave them together. Max refused to speak to anyone when I tried to separate them...he’s quite a lady’s man though.”

“...excuse me?”

“Many of the girls flocked to him to play during recess and he and Arch didn’t complain once. Most boys their age are in the cooties stage so I was a little surprised.”

“I see. There wasn’t many children in the last city we lived in so such beliefs weren’t really-”

“Daddd!” Two bodies linked at the hands ran into him full speed. Making him stumble to the side and nearly trip before Mr. Frine grabbed his arm.

“Sorry papa.” Maxie should’ve scolded them on the dangers of running into other people but they looked so giddy and _happy_ the harsh words died at his throat.

“Did you have fun today?” Both kids nodded with large smiles as they grabbed for his hands. “I can’t carry you both I have groceries-”

He could hear the teacher chuckling at the scene as he gave in, balancing the food and the kids on his arms with much less difficulty than he remembered. It was their first day. It was okay for just today.

“Well well, look at that! I have to say I’m impressed. You’re a-lot stronger than you look.~”

_Please don’t flirt with me. You’re a teacher and this is awkward._

Max didn’t seem to like it either as he pushed Maxie’s face the other direction as gently (and quickly) as possible. Glaring at his teacher similar to how you would look at an enemy.

“He still hasn’t forgiven me.” Mr. Frine sighed, pretending to be saddened at the idea.

“And I never will! Papa will be MY papa’s bride!!” Of course Max would snap that loudly in front of hundreds of other parents. Sticking his tongue out and gripping Maxie’s sweater possessively while Archie merely observed the teacher’s reaction with a tightening hold of his own.

“Ohoho~ So you’re single then?” _Please stop talking. I want to go home. You’re not even **trying** to be subtle._ If they were alone and their positions weren't as they were he’d consider it. This? This just made him extremely uncomfortable.

“No. Go away.” Little Archie all but snarled at him. As appreciated as it was, he needed to curb this hostility the two had in case it grew to be a problem later in life.

“Alright, another time then. Have a nice day.” Holding up his hands in defense he walked away humming and went right along talking to another parent.

“I don’t like him...” Max muttered.

“Me neither.”

“He’s still your teacher. Treat him with respect unless-” Their pouts and angry comments back and forth made him want to sit down and wait. Wait for what he wasn’t sure. For their endless despise of the flirtatious man to be sated? No, he’d be the mature adult and change the subject course. “So how was it?”

“Our homeroom teacher is really nice. And pretty!” The little redhead giggled, blushing at the end.

“And, she has TWO wives! They said they wanna adopt a lot of kids and-” Maxie nodded every so often as they told him about their day. Their homeroom teacher was from Sinnoh, but found her two wives in Hoenn. One of the girls in the other class already likes little Archie because he’s ‘sweet like sugar.’ Math class was boring because he ALREADY taught them how to add and subtract so they pretty much had free time.

Some boys tried making fun of Max because a teacher called him pretty but then Archie tricked them into walking into a spinarak web.

“...we played with Sasha and Lelian mostly cuz Cassey’s scary.”

“....Archie?” Maxie slowed to a stop when he spotted the man outside on the porch looking nervous.

“Hey. Yeah we got out early. Sorry, I was gonna call...” He still refused to look at him. There was a moment of awkward silence as he took the bags. Almost pulling back when their hands brushed lightly.

“Papa there was a ugly man trying to talk to papa!” Max’s anger seemed to resurface as Maxie fished out his keys. “He was worse than the mean lady!”

“I dunno...the blonde lady was really mean.”

“Who?” Archie’s tone dropped a bit to worry. They had only moved here 3 days ago. They should not be having these many problems already.

“The ‘ugly man’ is their teacher. A rather unprofessional one at that- no you can leave that on the table the foods pre made.” The children ran up their room to change immediately after being set down. Leaving them trying to ignore the tension in the air alone.

“Aw dude, a **teacher** hit on you?”

“A preschool teacher at that, and he was as subtle as a brick to the face.” Thinking back to already made his skin crawl. Archie gave a laugh but seemed a lot less tense from his response.

“And the ‘mean lady’?”

“Some privileged brat who ran her mouth too much.” Maxie paused. Perhaps he shouldn’t go into it. He didn’t want the other to grow as angry (if not fly off the handle) at her ignorance.

“Why? What’d she say?” When he didn’t respond Archie walked closer. A dark look was starting to form on his face as his voice came out on edge. “Maxie...? What did she say to you?”

“...degrading comments about native islanders and same sex couples.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see the man’s fist clenching. “...and a few jabs at mixed children.”

“Max.” Archie was suddenly very very close. He grabbed Maxie’s shoulder firmly as he watched green harden to emerald. “That is a _hate_ crime. Why didn’t ya contact me as soon as-?!”

“She’s important.” The warmth from the large hand pressed against him was not making his voice waver. It wasn’t. “She’s very...wealthy. From the Moore company and- Look, I took care of it okay?”

“Moore?”

“The woman at the front desk said her name was Whitney Moore.” Archie’s face dropped to frustration as he groaned.

“Of course it’d be, no not some ordinary slub we get to deal with....dammit.”

“If it’s any condolence, I gave her an earful and made her storm out of the place.”

“Hehe...I wouldn’t believe ya if you said ya didn’t.” There was a more comfortable quiet now. Maxie kept his hands busy taking out the food and putting the bag of sweets away for later. Which Archie naturally stuck his nose in.

“What’s with the bag full of treats? Didn’t you make a cake like 2 days ago?” Contrary to his words the pirate had both his hand in as he looked over the choices.

“An elderly couple gave it to me. Their daughter has a child around Archie and Max’s age so-”

“Should we just call him Jr?”

“Who? Archie?” He had never been a fan of those who rename their children after one another. It felt...gross.

“Hey I don’t like it either but it’d be less confusin yeah?” He knew Archie was just trying to help. Didn’t make things any less irritating however.

“I’ll....think about it.”

“Alright, and here’s my last question before ya continue.” The Aqua Leader actually seemed serious so Maxie allowed his full attention to be borrowed.

“?”

“Would you date that guy?”

“I’d rather date a muk.” The words came out before he could filter them. Not that Archie cared.

“Bwhahah!”

 

 


End file.
